


you wanna start a fire, it only takes a spark

by Jellybean96



Series: Life's A Roller Coaster [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda, Post-Hive, Post-Season/Series 03, Reconciliation, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-04-22 10:28:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 33,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14306742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jellybean96/pseuds/Jellybean96
Summary: Grant Ward's life has never been an easy one, so why would it be that way now? It wouldn't.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey babes! Back with a new story for ya! This one was started a couple of years ago by me and my friend, but I just recently got around to actually finishing it and really fleshing out the details of the story.
> 
> Prepare yourselves, because you're in for a bit of a ride with this story.
> 
> This first chapter got away from me a little in length, but I guess you just gotta go where your muse takes you. :)
> 
> Also, let's pretend, for the sake of the story, since it is a canon divergence story, that Skye is still Skye during season 3, and didn't have people start calling her 'Daisy'. K, thanks.
> 
> Enjoy!

Sitting in one of the hard metal chairs in Coulson's office at the Playground base, Ward waits as patiently as he can for the older man to come inside and speak to him; his head is down and he's wringing his hands together in his lap, one knee bouncing slightly.

He doesn't know how long he's been sitting in the office, unsure of exactly why he's there. He has no watch on his wrist and there's no clock on any of the walls, so he's not sure how much time has passed since he arrived. All he knows is that he doesn't want to be in there any longer. He doesn't know where else he wants to be, just not in that office. Anywhere but that office.

Before he can get too lost in his own mind, the door to the office swings open. He chances a quick look over his shoulder and sees Coulson walking in with May right behind him, hard scowls on both of their faces.

May closes the door tightly behind her and then moves to stand off to one side of the desk while Coulson walks around the desk and sits down in his chair, folding his hands together and resting them on top of the wooden desk as he leans forward.

The silence is almost killing him, his heart beating a little faster, as he waits for either of them to speak; though he has a feeling May won't say a word to him, she'll just stand there shooting daggers at his head the whole time. He can't say he blames her, though.

"Let me be clear," Coulson eventually speaks up, catching his full attention, "I don't like this. If it were up to me, you'd be rotting in a cell somewhere far away from here or buried six feet underground. But, fortunately for you, I guess, someone wants better than that for you."

"Who?" he asks carefully.

"They've asked to remain anonymous."

He drops his head. "Oh, I see."

"And so," Coulson continues, causing Ward to lift his head, "going completely against my better judgement in this situation, I am allowing you to remain here on this base."

The older man shifts in his seat. "However, there will be strict rules that you are to follow to the tee. You will wear a monitoring bracelet that will track your every move throughout this building. You will not go near, or speak to, anyone from the team unless they themselves initiate things with you; though I doubt that will actually happen. You will not go into any rooms except for your sleeping quarters, the kitchen, the lounge, the bathrooms, the gym, and the med bay, unless you are accompanied by someone else. But I highly doubt anyone will willingly want to be alone in a room with you, so I'm sure that won't be much of a problem there."

He takes a deep breath and sits up a little taller in his seat. "If you break any of these rules then I will drop you out in the middle of nowhere faster than you can blink and you will not step foot in, or near, this base again. Am I understood?"

Ward swallows thickly and nods. "Yes. Yes sir."

Coulson nods once. "Good. I hope that we can have no problems here. I don't know how or why you're back. I saw your body burn, it was completely charred. You should have died, not come back here and make my life more complicated. Now get out of my office. Agent May will accompany you down to the med bay where Agent Porter should be waiting to fit you with your tracking bracelet. Once you get that, you can do whatever the hell you like so long as you don't cause any trouble around here or harm any of my agents."

Ward nods silently and stands from the chair, making his way out of the room with Agent May following behind him, but at a slight distance.

As he makes his way through the hallway toward the med bay, he doesn't fail to notice all of the stares and whispers from the many agents around him.

It takes everything in him not to snap at them. He can't lash out. Not now. Not when Coulson is, begrudgingly, letting him stay here.

He takes a few deep breaths to try and calm himself down, but it only helps a little. A voice deep in the back of his mind sneers at him, taunting him to let loose on the agents, show them what he's made of. He fights hard to push the thoughts back. He can't do that, he can't attack anyone. He doesn't want to attack anyone.

"Ward."

He pulls himself from his thoughts and stops in his path. He turns his head to see May standing by the door to the med bay, another agent standing just inside, both of them looking directly at him.

"Right," he says, turning fully and walking toward them. He stops just outside the door and looks at the older agent. "You must be Agent Porter." She's a woman of medium height and build; her hair is dark red with some gray mixed throughout, a few well-earned wrinkles wrapped around her deep hazel eyes and the corners of her mouth. She's donning a SHIELD lab coat, a pair of lab goggles hanging from the front of her coat.

The female agent nods. "Yes. And I'm assuming you're Grant Ward."

He nods his head. "I'm supposed to see you about getting a tracking bracelet put on."

"Of course. Come on in. Agent May, I suspect you're no longer needed here?"

May doesn't say a word, simply casts a warning glance at Ward.

"We'll be fine, Agent May," Agent Porter tells the other female agent. "There are plenty of other people around, and I'm sure he just wants to get his tracking bracelet put on and then get out of here to settle himself in."

May waits a quick moment before turning and walking swiftly back down the hallway, but not before shooting one final glare in his direction.

Ward lets out a breath and then follows Agent Porter into a seperate part of the med bay, near the back of the room and away from everyone else in the room.

"I figured you'd want some privacy away from all the prying eyes," the agent tells him.

"I didn't want to ask," he says simply.

"That's quite alright." The older woman smiles kindly at him. "Have a seat on the table over there." She gestures to a metal table at one end of the area. "I just need to take a few vital signs for the configuration of the bracelet."

"Okay." Ward moves toward the table and climbs up onto it with ease, sitting and waiting for Agent Porter to do whatever she needs to do.

"Now then," Agent Porter breathes out, "let's get started." She moves around the area, attaching a few different wires and electrodes to Ward's body that are attached to a machine recording his different vital signs. "So, how does it feel being back?" the agent asks him as she taps a few times on the tablet in her hand.

"Odd."

"Well I'm sure you'll be just fine," she tells him. "Not to be that person or anything, but I don't think too many people on this base are going to want to be around you for any length of time, so hopefully you shouldn't have any problems or confrontations while you're here. Those are never any fun."

"You seem nice," he observes. His brows furrow together and he tilts his head. "Why are you being nice to me? Don't you know about what I've done?"

"Of course I do, dear," she says, looking him directly in the eyes. "When you've been with SHIELD for as long as I have you pick up on things here and there. Plus, Director Coulson or anyone else from his team never shies away from voicing their very strong opinions about you. But that's exactly what they are; opinions. I never knew you before everything with Hydra happened; maybe I saw you once or twice at HQ when you came into the med bay. Call me old fashioned, but I like to meet people face to face and come to my own conclusions about them."

"And what is your conclusion about me?" he asks curiously.

Agent Porter furrows her brows and tilts her head slightly. She gives him a small smile. "I'm still deciding. But I'll let you know once I've figured it out."

He nods. "Good to know. So are we done here, then?"

"Just about," she replies, removing the wires and small electrodes from his body and putting them away. "All that's left is to give you your tracking bracelet." She picks up a small silver band and holds it out. He takes a moment to look at it, remembering a time almost three years ago when he saw a similar device wrapped around the wrist of his former Rookie. "That doesn't look like I remember," he comments, eyeing the device.

"It's been revamped," she tells him. "FitzSimmons made a few improvements to it."

He nods. "Of course they did." He lets out a breath. "Well, let's get this over with."

"Where would you like it?" she asks him. "Wrist or ankle?"

He shrugs. "Ankle is fine, I guess. Then it won't get in the way."

Agent Porter steps forward and leans down to lock the bracelet around his ankle, the soft click that sounds signaling its activation. "There," she breathes out as she stands straight again. "The device is now active. It monitors your heart rate, blood pressure, etc. And I can monitor it all from anywhere on this base using my tablet, just to make sure that you're doing alright. It also tracks your movement throughout the base, which I can also monitor from my tablet, to make sure that you aren't going anywhere you aren't supposed to."

Ward nods his head. "Got it. Can I go now? I think I'd like to try and get some sleep."

"Of course," Agent Porter says. "I believe your biometrics were already programmed into the lock."

"Good to know, thank you."

"You're welcome. And I would like you to come back and see me in a week or so just so I can make sure you're still doing alright."

"Will do." He stands from the table and takes a deep breath. "Thank you, Agent Porter."

"Anytime." She gives him a small smile as he makes his way to the door of the med bay. "And you can call me Abby, if you'd like."

He gives her half a smile back in return and a small nod of his head. "Alright, Abby. And you can call me Grant, if you want."

"See you next week, Grant."

"Yeah, see you then."

Turning around, Grant makes his way out of the med bay, heading down the hallway toward his bunk. It's not the same bunk he had from before, this one is in a part of the base that's further away from everyone else. He doesn't blame them for having him down in this particular area of the base; after everything that happened he understands why none of them would want to be close to him or where he sleeps.

He passes by a few more agents as he makes his way down the hall, trying his hardest to keep his eyes focused ahead of him, and not on the agents around him. He knows they're looking at him, probably whispering things too. He forces back the voice in his head trying desperately to come to the surface as he walks.

Finally reaching his bunk, he immediately presses his thumb against the electronic lock next to the door and waits to hear the soft click of it unlocking.

Once it does, he pushes the door open and steps inside, quickly closing the door behind him, getting him away from the other agents.

Turning away from the door, he walks over to the bed, kicks off his shoes, and climbs onto the bed, lying down on his back on top of the covers.

When his head hits the pillow his eyes start to get heavy. He must be more exhausted than he originally thought he was.

He stares up at the ceiling for a minute longer before his eyes close completely and he falls quickly into a light slumber.

.

.

.

Shooting upright quickly in his bed, Grant breathes heavily as sweat coats his entire body, his hands shaking and his body way too warm for his liking.

Taking a moment, Grant closes his eyes and focuses on his breathing, getting it to even back out and his heart rate to slow down and return to a normal pace. Just like riding a bike.

After a few minutes, he stands from the bed and makes his way over to the ensuite bathroom. Of course he would have an ensuite bathroom. No one wants to run the risk of using the same bathroom as him, apparently. He knows that not many of the rooms have ensuite bathrooms; there wouldn't be enough space on the base for that to happen.

He can't complain too much about it, though. He doesn't want to risk running into anyone either, and have them say or do something to him. He knows someone wants to, he could feel it in their stares when he walked down the hallway earlier. He knows someone is just waiting for the right moment to strike. Deep down he hopes it never happens. But closer to the surface he knows that it will sooner or later. As soon as someone feels an opportunity present itself. That's always how it goes.

Before he enters the bathroom he steps over to the dresser but stops with his hands within inches of the handles of the top drawer. He lets out a heavy sigh when he remembers that he doesn't have much in the way of clothing with him; he didn't have anything with him except for the clothes he was wearing when he came back. And he's sure no one bothered to buy him any clothes beforehand.

Letting out another sigh, he starts to move back over to the bed when something catches his attention out of the corner of his eye.

He turns toward the desk chair in the corner of the room and furrows his brows when he sees a small pile of clothes sitting on top of it, along with a few small toiletry items; shampoo and conditioner, bar soap, shaving cream, and a disposable razor. He walks over to the pile and finds a sheet of paper sitting next to it.

_Figured you could probably use some clothes, as well as a few basic necessities. I was able to find a few things around here for you. Wasn't sure on your exact size, though. I know it isn't much, but at least it's something for now. -Abby_

Letting a small, rare smile grace his lips, he sets the paper back down on the desk and looks at the clothing items; a couple pairs of blue jeans, a pair of black sweat pants, and a few black and grey t-shirts.

He takes a pair of the blue jeans and one of the grey t-shirts, as well as the toiletry items, and makes his way into the bathroom to have a quick shower before going to the kitchen to see if there's anything for him to eat.

He takes his time in the shower, letting the warm water cascade down his back, soothing his sore muscles. He doesn't even know why he's so sore. Just that his entire body aches. But the heat from the water alleviates it, probably not for too long, but long enough to bring him a small sense of peace. He doesn't know how long it's been since he's had a decent shower like this. Too long, probably.

Once he's had his shower he dresses himself in the clothes that Abby left for him, taking comfort in how well the clothes fit him despite the fact that they more than likely aren't his actual clothes. He also gives himself a quick shave on his face, but not too much. He kind of likes having a bit of stubble on his face, but not a full beard. That reminds him too much of Vault D, and he'd rather not be reminded of such a dark time.

Moving over to the door of his bunk, he takes a deep breath before pulling it open and stepping out into the hallway, pulling the door closed tightly behind him.

Turning to one end of the hallway, he begins walking, making his way toward the kitchen. As he goes he ignores more of the stares and whispers from the agents around him; he clenches his fists together when he hears that same voice in his head from earlier trying to egg him on.

When he manages to shake the voice out of his head he finds he's standing in the doorway to the kitchen. The room is completely empty of people; he's not sure what time it is exactly, just that he's hungry and needs something to relieve the feeling.

"Hello, Grant."

Turning his head to the side, he sees Abby approaching him, a small smile on her face.

"Hi," he says back. He tugs a little on the shirt he's wearing. "Uh, thanks for the clothes. How did you get in my bunk, though, if it's keyed to my biometrics?"

"I convinced Coulson to give me override access. Just in case there's an emergency."

"I take it he didn't care too much about the emergency aspect where I'm concerned."

"No, I suppose he didn't. But I'm an old woman, I have my ways."

He cracks a smile. "Well thanks." He lets out a small yawn. "What time is it?" he asks her.

"Almost six in the evening," she tells him. "You've been out for a while. Guess you were more tired than you thought you were."

"Yeah, I guess I was. But now I'm hungry. I just don't know what I want to eat. Or where anything actually is."

"Well maybe I can be of some assistance to you," she tells him, stepping into the kitchen. "What do you like, sweetie?" she asks him as she starts scouring through the cupboards.

Grant moves into the kitchen and pulls himself up onto one of the stools. "Um, I'm not sure."

Abby turns to him and raises an eyebrow at him. "You don't know what you like?"

"I haven't had many opportunities to experiment with more than what was put in front of me on missions or when I was alone in my apartment. And while they tried, there wasn't a huge array of food choices on the Bus, considering we were always in the air and certain foods tend to go bad after a while."

"Well we're just going to have to fix that, then," Abby tells him. "A young, handsome thing like yourself should have a favorite food, or meal, that he loves to eat. And once we figure out what it is, I'll teach you how to make it so you don't have to always rely on me to cook for you."

"You don't have to do that," he tells her. "I'm good with just whatever is here. I don't need a gourmet meal. Just something quick and simple."

"Nonsense," Abby says with a small shake of her head. "I want to do this."

"Okay, then." He breathes out with a slight nod. "I'm not a picky eater. Go ahead and make me something that you think I'll like," he tells her, leaning forward slightly on the counter, resting his arms against it.

"I will do just that." She smiles, beginning to dig around in the cupboards and pantry. "So," she speaks up after a few minutes, setting different dishes and ingredients on the counter, "tell me a little about yourself."

Grant tenses at the request as he sits up straight in his seat. "There's nothing to tell," he says with a small shrug.

"There's always something to tell."

"Not with me there isn't."

"Oh I'm sure there's one tiny thing you can tell me about yourself that was never included in your SHIELD file."

"Maybe," he says. "But I don't know. My mind is kind of a mess right now. It's hard to keep things straight."

She nods. "Understandable. You went through quite the ordeal if what everyone around here is saying is true. One of the great things about being as old as I am is that most of the time people think your hearing has already gone so they don't pay much attention to what they say around you. Oh, the things I've heard over the years," she says with a reminiscent smile on her face. "If the agents only knew, they'd be a lot more careful with what they said."

"I'm sure you heard about what happened with me, then," he says, shifting on his stool. "Ancient psychotic alien creature used my dead body as a host in order to come back to this planet and terrorize the people here and tried to turn the entire human population into messed up looking hybrid creatures. Then somehow I came back after some of the people here destroyed the creature."

"Well that definitely is something," Abby says. "I'm really sorry you had to go through that, hun. Do you remember much about it?"

Grant shakes his head. "Not really. It's all kind of a giant blur. But I don't know if I ever want to remember what I did."

"That wasn't you," Abby tells him firmly. "It was that... _thing_  that was using your body. You can't be held to blame for that."

"Coulson and the rest of them sure don't feel that way," he grumbles under his breath.

"Well they're just being petty," she says sharply. "They can't let go of their grudges for five minutes to see that you're hurting."

"I'm not hurting," he insists.

"Like hell you aren't," she says back. "I can see it in your eyes, Grant. As well as your vital signs from while you were sleeping just a little while ago."

"I'm fine, Abby," he tells her gently but firmly. "I promise."

"I don't believe you, but I'm going to pretend like I do for the moment."

He nods. "I appreciate it."

Soft padding and light tapping sounds pulls his attention to the doorway of the kitchen to see Skye stopping in her tracks, her cell phone up in her hands. He freezes when he sees her. She still looks the same as the last time he saw her, yet something feels different about her. She's holding herself in a different way, he just can't quite figure out how, and he obviously doesn't know why.

She's quiet for a minute, just staring at him, before she speaks up, "Just came by to get an apple." She quickly moves into the kitchen, going over to the bowl of fruit sitting on one of the back counters to grab a green apple.

She looks at him once more before looking back down at her phone as she makes her way out of the room.

Grant just stares after her as she goes.

"You love her."

Grant whips his head around to face Abby. "What?"

"You love her," Abby repeats. "It's in your eyes, Grant; it's always in the eyes. You really care for her."

"So what if I do," he says back with a small shrug. "She'll never give me the time of day again. She could barely even look at me just now."

"You just need to give her some time, hun," Abby tells him. "She needs to get used to you being here again."

"Well I don't really expect that to happen any time soon."

"Maybe not within the next few days," Abby says. "But eventually she won't mind you being here and won't be so quick to leave whenever you two happen to be in the same room."

"How can you be so sure?" Grant asks her.

"I've lived a long and full life, sweetie. You tend to pick up on certain things as years come and go. I'm sure in time things will be better."

"Yeah? Well I'm not going to hold my breath about it."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya! I'm so glad you all enjoyed the first chapter, that makes me really happy. Hope you'll enjoy the rest of the story just as much, even though it's definitely not smooth-sailing.
> 
> Enjoy!

It's been a few days since he arrived at the base, and so far, things are going okay for him. Well, as okay as they can be when he still has no idea why he's alive after what that  _thing_  used him for. He still doesn't know everything that it used him for. It's all coming back slowly, in fragments during the rare moments he sleeps, and he knows that he doesn't like any of what he sees. He never wanted anyone to be hurt because of him.

He meant what he said before, to the team, that he regrets what his actions did to them. He never wanted to hurt anyone, he was doing what he was told, following orders. Isn't that what they always wanted from him? To follow orders? For him to be an obedient soldier?

Throwing another heavy punch at the hanging bag in front of him, he reaches out to wrap his hands around it and stop it from swaying.

He breathes heavily as he stands there, sweat dripping down his body.

Working out, he's discovered since he's been there, is the only thing that really quiets the voice in the back of his head. He doesn't know who or what the voice belongs to, just that he doesn't like hearing it. It keeps him up at night. If it's not the voice, it's the nightmares, images of the horrible things he's already done, or fears that he might do someday. He just wants it all to stop, to go away and leave him in peace.

Stepping away from the bag, he moves to one of the benches off to the side, quickly unwrapping his hands and shoving the cloth into a small bag. He grabs the water bottle sitting next to the bag and takes a long swing from it before swiping across his forehead with his towel.

Tossing the towel into a nearby hamper, he crosses the training gym and enters the locker rooms, placing the small bag and his water bottle into a locker and securing the padlock.

He doesn't bother with a shower in the locker room, not wanting to be in there alone in case someone else decides they're ready for a midday workout. He still doesn't like being around other people on the base; the only one he can tolerate at the moment being Abby because she actually treats him like a person. Not that he feels too much like a person right now. He doesn't know what he feels like.

He turns away from the lockers in front of him and makes his way to the door that leads out into the hallway instead of back into the gym.

Stalking down the hallway away from the gym, he keeps his head down to avoid the stares and the whispers he knows he's receiving from agents as he passes them. His fists are clenched tightly at his sides. He just wants it all to stop. He hates feeling like this.

_You deserve what's coming to you. You worthless piece of sh—_

He lets out a low, frustrated grunt, pausing in his steps. He closes his eyes tightly and twists his head, trying to make the voice go away. He hates when it comes, though it never really leaves. It's always there in the back of his mind, taunting him, teasing him, pestering him. He just wants it to go away.

Letting out a frustrated huff of air, he opens his eyes, his head still down, and continues on his path back to his room.

Before he can get very far, his body jerks to a stop when he runs into something. Or rather, someone. It doesn't take him long, and he doesn't really need to look up, to know who he ran into. He hasn't been this close to her in a while, aside from that one day in the kitchen, and he doubts she still uses the same scented shampoo that she did on the Bus, but somehow, to him, it smells as if she still does. But he's probably just imagining things.

"Oh, um, sorry. I wasn't...looking where I was walking."

He glances up. "No. Um, I'm sorry."

She pulls her lips in tight and gives him a quick nod. She goes to step around him but he stops her. Not with a hand on her arm, he has a feeling she wouldn't like that, but with his words.

"I'm sorry." He keeps his head straight forward, his eyes focused on the floor.

Out of the corner of his eye he sees her turn her head to him. "What?"

"I'm sorry, for what I did to you."

"Which time?" she bites.

He winces. "For what that... _thing_  did," he clarifies. He sees her body still. "I...I don't remember everything that happened. Bits and pieces are coming back to me when I'm able to sleep. I never wanted you to be involved in anything as dark as that. And I'm truly sorry for what happened to you because of that thing. If I could take it all back, I would. You didn't ask for that to happen, you didn't deserve any of it."

He watches as her mouth opens and closes for a moment, possibly trying to find the words to say.

"You don't need to say anything," he tells her with a small shake of his head. "I'm not expecting your forgiveness, or for things to be how they used to be, I know that that's impossible, I just want you to know that I'm sorry."

He turns away from her and continues walking down the hall. He swears he can almost hear her whispering to him, telling him it wasn't his fault, that he didn't ask for that to happen either, but he shakes it off as just a trick of the mind. There's no way she'd say anything like that to him. Not after everything they've been through.

.

.

.

A few days later, he visits Abby in the med bay again. He's seen her around base a few times, and they've talked and had a few meals together, but now he's back in for the checkup that she asked him to come in for on his first day.

"Abby?" he calls out as he steps inside the room. He notices a few of the agents in the room glance at him quickly before talking quietly and moving further away.

_No one wants you here._

He closes his eyes and shakes his head quickly, trying to get rid of the voice. He just...wants it to go away. He wants it to leave him alone.

"Grant? Are you alright?"

He opens his eyes to find Abby standing in front of him, her brows furrowed in deep concern as she watches him.

"Abby," he breathes out. He takes a moment to steady his breathing. "You said you wanted me back in here after a week."

She nods once. "Right, of course. Follow me, then."

He falls into step behind her as she turns and makes her way further into the med bay, away from all the agents lingering about.

He immediately finds a seat on the table set up in the corner, sitting up straight and waiting for her to tell him what he needs to do.

"Go ahead and remove your shirt, hon."

He does as she asks, pulling the shirt over his head and setting it down next to him on the metal table. He forces himself to stay sitting up straight, to not shrink in on himself despite the fact no one else is around. He's never really been self-conscious of his body, never been shy of walking around without a shirt on or using his toned muscles to further a mission when women were involved. But there's just something different now, something off, and he's not quite sure what it is. He thinks it may have something to do with recent events, but he can't be sure.

He's pulled from his thoughts by the slight pinch against his skin, looking down to see small diodes attached to his body in various places.

"So, Grant, how are you feeling?" Abby asks him as she taps on the screen on the tablet in her hand.

He shrugs. "Fine, I guess."

She looks at him and quirks a brow. "Really."

He nods. "Yeah."

"Mm-hmm. Because that bracelet that's been monitoring your vitals was telling me a much different story this past week."

He goes quiet. Obviously there's no sense in lying to her if she can see his vitals on the tablet. But he doesn't exactly know how to voice it either. He just...he doesn't...he can't describe it.

"Dear, I think that you should speak with someone."

His head whips up to look at her, his breath catching in his throat. "What?"

She sets her tablet down and takes a deep breath, looking at him directly. "I think that you should speak to someone. Professionally. If you want to do so, I can find someone for you."

He hesitates. "I—"

"Listen, I'm not going to force you to speak to anyone, but I do think it would be a good idea for you. The main reason I'm suggesting this is because there seems to be a massive spike during the night when you're supposedly asleep. I'm not sure why, and I'm not going to ask you, because I'm sure you don't want to talk about it, but I do think that it is something you should highly consider."

He swallows. "I uh, I'll think about it."

"Good. Now, in the meantime, I just need to recalibrate your bracelet to make sure it's still able to pick up your vitals as accurately as possible and in real time." She picks up her tablet and taps on it a few more times.

He nods. "Okay."

He sits there and waits patiently for her to finish up the calibration of the bracelet, glancing around the room and taking in all the equipment around him. He never had a chance to before, but now he has a few moments to really see everything.

Most of the equipment there he's completely unfamiliar with, though he has a feeling FitzSimmons would know.

His heart sinks into his stomach at the thought of the two scientists and everything they had to endure because of him. That damn pod. If only it had done what it was supposed to do then maybe—

"Grant? I'm all done."

He pulls himself out of his thoughts and looks at Abby. "Oh, um, great. Thanks."

"Not a problem. Let me know if you need anything, alright?"

He nods. "I will." He slides off the table, replaces his shirt, and quickly makes his way out of the med bay, doing his best to avoid any agents as he goes.

.

.

.

Falling down onto the couch, he lets out a breath and relaxses as much as he can into the cushion. The lounge is one of the few rooms he's allowed to come into, and there's no one currently in there, so he's taking advantage of it. He doesn't want to just sit in his room all day every day for however long he's here for. That was never really his thing. But now, now he doesn't really know what his thing is, and it's not like there are many opportunities for him to figure it out.

Grabbing the remote control for the TV off the end table to his right, he flips on the television set before just sitting there for a moment.

His mind wanders. It tends to do that when he's sitting around without much to do. He never used to let his mind wander, he always needed to be alert and aware of everything and everyone around him. Now...now he still wants to be aware, but it's not crucial to his survival and his job. Well, maybe somewhat crucial to his survival, he's not sure exactly who on this base wants to see him dead, it could be anyone. And honestly, he wouldn't stop them if they tried.

"Oh, um, I didn't realize you were in here. I'll uh, I'll just...leave now. Let you be alone."

"Fitz," he calls out after looking over his shoulder, stopping the Scotsman from leaving the room. "You uh, you don't have to leave. If you were...if you were getting food you don't have to go. I'm just...trying to find something to watch." He lets out a huffed laugh as he gestures to the TV playing something random on the screen. "Not that I can really decide on anything since I'm more of a book person. But I don't have any books here. And I really don't think anyone would want to talk to me long enough to let me ask them if they have some I can borrow."

"Right. Um...right."

Grant's quiet for a moment before giving Fitz a small smile and then turning back to face the TV, raising the remote and clicking through the different channels. He pauses after a moment when he sees the opening credits for a movie just about to start. Whatever it is, he's pretty sure he hasn't seen it before. He hasn't seen a whole lot of movies in his lifetime. Avoiding his older brother, living in the woods, working for SHIELD, and living as a fugitive didn't leave for a whole lot of time to enjoy the movie theatre.

A quick laugh sounds from behind him. "This is a good one."

He looks out of the corner of his eye to see Fitz slowly approaching the side of the couch, the tiniest hint of a smile on the other man's face. He doesn't say anything or move, not wanting to startle the younger man.

Fitz sinks down onto the far end of the couch, his eyes glued to the movie playing out on the TV screen. He's sitting further down on the couch than Grant would like, he wants to be able to talk to Fitz and maybe try to rekindle whatever is left of their friendship, but he's not going to complain too much, at least the man is sitting with him. That's more than he was expecting.

Relaxing back into the couch, he focuses on the screen across the room, setting the remote down beside him and leaning back further into the cushion behind him.

The two men sit there for the majority of the movie, neither of them saying anything to the other. It's not his deal situation, being there with Fitz but not being able to talk to him, but he's not going to complain about it. At least he's there.

"This is actually a pretty good movie so far," he speaks up quietly, not wanting to startle the younger man but hoping to engage him in a conversation, no matter how quick it would be.

Fitz glances at him quickly. "Yeah, um, it's one of my favorites. Seen it about a dozen times. Haven't seen it in a while though. Not with everything else that's been—"

"Fitz!"

They both turn their heads to see Simmons entering the lounge, her eyes narrowed and her jaw set tightly, her hands are balled into fists down by her side.

"Hi, Simmons," he risks greeting her, instantly regretting it when her eyes narrow even further in his direction. He shrinks down into the couch, tearing his eyes away from her.

_Nobody wants you here anymore. No one ever did._

He closes his eyes tightly at hearing the voice again, ducking his head down and linking his hands together over the back. He shakes his head a little, trying to dispel the voice from his mind. His breathing is heavy as he squeezes his eyes shut as tight as he can, ducking his head down further.

"Ward?"

He quickly lifts his head at hearing the voice, thankful that it isn't the one inside his head. He sees Fitz standing behind the couch, some distance between them still, an apologetic smile on his face.

"Um, I have to go now, but uh, thanks...for letting me stay."

He does his best to manage a small smile. "Anytime, Fitz."

The Scotsman nods his head quickly before turning around and following Simmons out of the lounge.

He lets out a heavy sigh as he leans back into the couch, his head falling back and his eyes closing. He just can't seem to catch a break. Not that he was expecting to. But at least Fitz doesn't seem to completely hate him, so there's that. And honestly, that's more than he thought he'd get. So he's doing alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Also, I'm working on another Skyeward story, obviously, and I'm looking for twitter handles/tumblr URLs to use within it. I'd make up my own for the story, but it's not that easy, and you never know if something's actually taken. So, if you're interested in having yours featured, let me know. :)
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya!
> 
> Before we begin this chapter, let me just say that this one really starts getting the ball rolling on this particular story. Pretty quickly too, I might add. You have been warned.
> 
> Enjoy!

Making his way down the long hallway toward the gym for an early morning working to keep himself fit, he keeps his head ducked down and his eyes focused on the floor. There aren't very many agents wandering the halls, but it doesn't mean that he's not going to do what he can to avoid the glares and whispers he knows are directed at him. It's been nonstop since he arrived about a week and a half ago. He doesn't get why none of them seem to understand that he's not there to cause trouble, he just wants to do what he has to so that he can hopefully get out of there one day. Sooner rather than later.

_You're never getting out. You can't escape. They won't let you._

He shakes his head quickly, trying to get rid of the voice. He just wants to be left alone.

_Nobody wants you here. They all want you dead._

Not everyone wants him dead, he tries to convince himself. He's pretty sure Abby wants him to live and survive whatever the hell is going on with him. He's not entirely sure about Fitz, but he doesn't think the man would actively try and kill him. Skye...he's not sure about Skye either. Based on the few interactions they've had, he doesn't think she wants him dead, but he's pretty sure she doesn't want to be around him too much either.

_No one wants you around. They all want you gone._

_You're lucky someone here's protecting you, Ward._

He's not sure who says it. He just knows it wasn't the voice in his head. It didn't have the same taunting lilt to it. It did sound familiar though, a voice that he's heard many times before. Someone from his old team. He can't quite place it. There are too many voices.

He curls his fists in tightly, his nails digging into his palms, while he takes slow, deep breaths to try and calm his racing heart.

_If they weren't, you'd be six feet underground by now. But unfortunately for the rest of us, that isn't the case. You should have stayed dead._

Sucking in a sharp breath, everything around him starts to spin and then it all goes black.

He thinks he opens his eyes but he can't see anything. There's a wetness to his cheeks in the next few seconds, salty droplets soon finding their way into his mouth.

His breathing gets heavier and everything around him is suddenly too hot. He pulls repeatedly at the fabric of his shirt as he stumbles down the hallway.

Tripping over his own feet as he walks, he's not sure where he's going or what is happening around him.

He can't see anything, but he can still hear everything going on around him.

The heavy pounding in his ears. The quiet, yet overbearing, voice in his head. The cacophony of people's voices shouting at him from every direction. Everything is slurred together, he can't pick the individual voices apart. There's too much noise.

He's not sure where he ends up, or really how he got there, it's like he was a marionette and someone else was pulling the strings, making him move through the hallway where and how they wanted.

He still can't see a thing for wherever he is, but he has control of his body again. He curls in on himself, trying to make himself as small as he can, burying his head in his lap. He pushes his legs as hard as he can against his ears, trying desperately to drown out the screaming.

But it won't go away. Why won't it go away? He just wants everything to go away.

The screaming soon gets mixed with heat, and things are starting to get more uncomfortable than they already were. Everything is hotter than before, his insides heating up as well, as if his organs are being melted away from hot lava. The heat he feels in his insides, though, is nothing compared to the heat he feels building up in his hands, like he's holding them in the center of a fire.

The screaming stops suddenly when he hears faint noises coming from somewhere. He's not sure where.

"Go away!" he shouts, curling further in on himself, continuing to try and drown out the voices.

"I know you won't hurt me, Ward." Everything stops when he hears her voice, it's soft and calm and soothing, everything he didn't realize he needed in that moment. "I trust that you won't hurt me." The voice in his head is gone and the heat starts to subside.

Slowly, things start to come back into focus and he looks up to see a blurry figure crouching down near him.

His vision may not be back to normal, but he'd recognize her anywhere. She's there, right next to him. He just watches her, waiting for his vision to return completely, his breathing still heavy.

Quick movements out of the corner of his eye has his attention drawn away from the woman in front of him.

Faster than he can register what he's doing, he thrusts his hands forward. "Get back!"

Even with his vision impaired, he knows what fire looks like. He just didn't think he'd see it shooting out of his hands.

He sees the person drop to the floor and his breathing starts getting heavier, his vision blurring again and his body heating back up as the screaming returns.

Everything happens too quickly.

He doesn't know how he knows it, he can't see, but he knows someone is moving closer to him. He doesn't know who it is, or why they're moving in, just that he can't let them get close.

The screaming gets louder and the heat around him rises, but he's numb to it, he can't feel it. But he knows it's there.

He feels a pulse, a sense of relief, and then everything goes black.

.

.

.

Her eyes are glued to the screen of her phone as she walks down the hallway, tapping at the screen with her thumbs. It's one of those rare days lately where she doesn't have anywhere important to be. No missions, no debriefings, no training with May, no training her team, no hacking into Hydra, nothing.

She loves days like these, but she's also gotten so used to having something to do that she sometimes finds herself bored and wanting some new kind of excitement to keep her busy and focused.

Faint shouting pulls her attention away from her phone. She looks ahead of her to see a crowd gathered near one of the storage closets at the end of the hallway, her brows furrowing together in confusion.

Quickening her pace, she slides her phone into her back pocket and focuses on what's happening.

"Hey, what's going on?" she asks one of the closest agents to her as she nears the end of the hall.

"That idiot Ward freaked out a few minutes ago and then ran off. Came down here and locked himself in the closet."

Her brows furrowing together even further, she pushes past the gathered crowd until she's right at the front. She takes a deep breath and moves toward the door, a hand on her arm stopping her before she can get too close.

She looks over to see Lincoln standing next to her, his hand still wrapped around her wrist. "Skye, what are you doing?"

"Let go of me, Lincoln," she says, yanking her arm out of his grasp. "Someone needs to check on him."

"And that person has to be you?"

She rolls her eyes and ignores him, turning back to the storage closet. She slowly approaches it and reaches out to grasp the handle. She barely grabs hold of it when she jumps back a little at the heat emanating from it. She shakes her hand off before taking a deep breath and grabbing the handle again, fiddling with it to try and get it to open.

"Go away!"

She manages to get the door open and her heart breaks at the sight she finds. Grant Ward is curled up into a ball in the corner of the room, his body shaking and his hands curled into fists, tear tracks dried on his cheeks.

She crouches down right there in the doorway, tucking a loose piece of hair behind her ear. "I know you won't hurt me, Ward," she says quietly to him. "I trust that you won't hurt me."

She watches as his body starts to visibly relax, his head lifting to look at her through glazed over eyes.

She smiles softly at him, hoping he can actually see her. She may not be his biggest fan at the moment, but it doesn't mean she wants him to suffer like this, no one deserves that.

Faster than she can register, she sees his body tense up again, his head turning sharply to the side. She follows his gaze to see an agent moving toward the closet.

Before she can tell him to move away, she hears Ward's voice yelling as loud it can.

"Get back!"

The next thing she knows, the agent is dropping to the floor, the top of his head barely being scathed by the flames flying directly at him.

She whips her head back around to look at Ward, her eyes wide when she sees the large flames engulfing his hands. Did he really just do that? But how?

A second later, the flames grow, slowly encasing his entire body in the bright red and orange. He starts screaming again too, like he had been when she first approached the closet. She just doesn't know why he's screaming.

Can he feel the flames? Are they burning him? Is he in any pain at all?

Out of the corner of her eye she sees movement, drawing her attention away from Ward.

"Lincoln, what the hell are you doing?" she asks the blonde man approaching Ward.

"Someone needs to put a stop to this," he tells her, his eyes never leaving Ward as he moves closer to the closet. "You should back up, it isn't safe."

She doesn't have time to warn him off and tell him she doesn't need his protection before more flames shoot out of the closet, directed at Lincoln.

It's as if everything moves in slow motion, watching as the flames approach Lincoln, the electricity-based Inhuman panicking and attempting to use his own powers to counteract the flames. But it's no use, the flames hit him square in the chest.

Everything speeds back up as he's knocked hard to the ground. The flames quickly burn away and Lincoln's left flat on his back, blinking quickly and gasping for air as tears spring to his eyes from the pain of the flame combined with landing on the concrete.

She watches as the flames move up into the air and swirl around for a moment before retreating back into the closet and straight into Ward's body.

She casts a quick glance at Lincoln, checking he's still alive before moving further into the closet and right over to Ward's unconscious body curled up on the floor.

Small flames lick at his body and she reaches out hesitantly to touch, wary of the heat emanating from the flames, the same heat that nearly burned her before.

After a few seconds of hovering her hand above his body, her eyes go wide when there's no heat from the flames on her skin, and there are no burns forming on her palm. She also notes that there are no burns on Ward's skin, despite the patches of his clothing that were burned away by the fire that came out of him.

How in the hell did any of this even happen?

Pulling herself quickly back into reality, she rests her hand on Ward's arm and turns her head to look out at the crowd still gathered around them.

"Simmons!" she shouts to the biochemist. She briefly racks her brain trying to figure out when the scientist joined the crowd. "Aren't you going to help him?"

"Why should I?" Simmons bites from her spot kneeling down beside Lincoln. "Besides, I'm a little preoccupied trying to check over Lincoln, at the moment."

"Lincoln will be fine," Skye says, forcing herself not to roll her eyes. "He's being dramatic, he barely even got hit. His powers took the brunt of it. Ward, on the other hand, needs some serious help here. He's unconscious for crying out loud. Can you at least help me get him to the med bay?"

Simmons remains silent.

She looks around at the rest of the people standing around. "Will  _any_ of you help me?"

No one says a word, all of them avoiding eye contact with her.

Skye sighs in frustration. "Fine. If none of you can let go of your grudges for just a minute to help me, I guess I'll take him there myself."

She shifts on her legs and grabs one of Ward's arms, wrapping it up around her shoulders. She strains a bit as she slowly rises from the floor, lifting his body with her and wrapping her arm around his torso. There were only two other times when she had to help him up off the floor, and he was awake for both of those, and did most of the work himself.

With a single, well-placed glare, everyone is moving out of her way and she's walking out of the room and down the hallway toward the med bay.

"Come on, Ward," she says to the unconscious man, struggling to keep him upright as she walks. "We're almost there. Just hold on for another minute." She keeps moving toward the med bay, just at a much slower pace than she would have liked. "Somebody, help," she calls into the room when she reaches the sliding glass doors. She leans against the doorway, breathing heavily as she holds up Ward's body as best she can.

"Oh my goodness. What happened?"

Skye turns her head to see an older, somewhat familiar, woman quickly making her way toward them.

"I don't know," she replies. "I guess he had some kind of a freak out and locked himself in a closet. There were flames and what I think might have been fireballs and then he just passed out and he's really heavy, please help."

"Of course," the woman says with a nod. "Let's get him to the table over there." She gestures to a table off to the side and then steps to Ward's other side. "I'm Agent Abby Porter, by the way," she tells Skye as they both carry Ward over to the table.

"Skye."

Abby nods. "Yes, I know who you are, dear." The two women lift Ward's body up onto the table. "You're quite the agent, from what I've heard," she says as she busies herself with getting everything together that she needs to check on Ward. "Melinda May is your SO. I can see it in the way you fight. Though there's something else there that I can't quite place, though I'm sure you didn't learn it from May."

"Ward was my first SO," Skye tells her, glancing down at the unconscious man lying on the table in front of her. Her mind flashes back to simpler times between the two of them and the team. "Back when it was just the six of us on the Bus he volunteered to be my SO," she explains, "to train me so I could defend myself if I ever needed to. May only took over after Ward betr...after everything changed." She swallows thickly, shoving those hard memories back down.

Abby nods. "Right. Well, if you'll give me some space to work, I can try my best to figure out exactly what's going on with Grant."

"Um, can I stay?" Skye asks hesitantly. "I promise I won't get in your way. I just...I need to be here. Someone should be here."

Abby gives her a soft smile. "Of course. There should be a chair just on the other side of this partition that you can bring over here."

"Thanks." Skye moves around the glass partition, ignoring the whispers of some of the other medical agents, and grabs one of the rolling chairs, taking it back with her to where Ward and Abby are.

Sitting down in the chair, she messes with the ends of her shirt sleeves, biting her bottom lip between her teeth as she watches the older agent work. She obviously knows what she's doing, the way she moves effortlessly and flawlessly about the small space, utilizing different tools and equipment.

"Can I ask you something?" Skye asks after a moment of simply observing, noticing that the agent is now putting the equipment away and tucking a blanket around Ward's bare torso.

Abby glances over at her. "Sure, dear. Whatever you like."

"Why do you call him Grant?"

"He asked me to call him by his first name," Abby explains.

"How come?"

"I'm not entirely sure. That's just what he asked me to call him after I told him to call me Abby."

"Oh, okay." She's quiet for a moment before speaking again, "How long do you think it'll be before he wakes up?"

"It's hard to say," Abby tells her honestly. "He could wake up at any time. But while he's out I'm going to run a few tests, and hopefully we can figure out what's going on with him."

"That'd be great." The edges of her lips twitch, watching Ward's chest move up and down as he breathes. "Really great."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Also, I'm looking for twitter handles/tumblr URLs for a new Skyeward story I'm working on. If you want yours to be featured, just let me know. :)
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya! Don't think that after the last chapter that things are going to be smooth sailing from here on out, because they most certainly will not be.
> 
> Enjoy!

 

Groaning quietly, Grant furrows his brows together, eyes still closed tightly, as he tries to move his head and body.

"Lay still, hun. You don't want to pull the IV out of your arm."

Turning his head, Grant opens his eyes to find Abby standing near him, focused on something else on her tablet.

"What happened?" he asks her, slowly and carefully pulling himself up into a seated position with some assistance from Abby to avoid ripping the IV from his arm.

"I'm not sure," Abby admits, looking directly at him. "Skye brought you in here after you apparently passed out. I should have noticed something was going on with you but I was away from my tablet and wrongly assumed that you'd be alright for a little while."

"How long have I been out?"

"A few hours," Abby replies. "She stayed here waiting for you to wake up." She casts a glance at the foot of the bed.

Grant follows her line of sight to find Skye curled up awkwardly in a chair, fast asleep. Her brow is furrowed together and her lips are slightly pursed. It reminds him of the few nights back on the Bus when he'd find her passed out on the couch with her laptop teetering on the edge.

"She really stayed here this whole time?" he asks in disbelief, not being able to tear his eyes away from the sleeping woman.

Abby nods. "Yes, she did. She's been very concerned about you."

"She looks uncomfortable," he says and then looks at Abby. "Aren't you going to wake her up?"

Abby shrugs. "I figured she'll wake up when she's ready to."

Quiet noises coming from Skye gather Grant and Abby's attention toward the sleeping brunette again.

"Which is apparently right now."

Skye's brows furrow deeper as she shifts in the chair. A few seconds later she breathes in deeply and stretches her arms up above her head. Her eyes open slowly and she looks around.

"Ward," she says once she notices his eyes on her, pulling herself into a more seated position. "You're awake."

"So are you," he replies. "Abby said you waited here all night?"

She nods. "Yeah, I did." She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I was uh, I was worried about you. I don't really know what happened. One minute you were huddled up in a supply closet screaming, then there were all these flames, and then you passed out. I brought you here to Agent Port—to Abby because I thought she could help figure out what's going on."

"Thank you," he says. "I don't really remember much of what happened either. It's all a giant blur in my head."

"Well I think I might be able to fit some things together for you, dear," Abby speaks up. "I ran some tests while you were unconscious."

He looks up at her. "And? What did they say? What's wrong with me?"

"Well, I found some peculiar anomalies in your blood. I thought they looked familiar so I compared them with some other blood samples from a select few agents here."

"What did you find?"

"To be completely honest, it looks to me like you have bits of Inhuman markers in your DNA."

"I'm an Inhuman?" Grant asks.

"But that's not possible," Skye speaks up, standing from her chair and moving closer to them. "He hasn't been exposed to the Mist since he's been here. And if it happened before he got here, then why did it take so long for his abilities to manifest themselves? And without a cocoon too."

"I don't know," Abby says. "I'm afraid I'm not too well versed in Inhuman biology. Also, Grant, your body temperature is way above that of the average human. It doesn't seem to be causing you any problems, though. Which I guess is a good thing."

"Maybe that has something to do with your abilities," Skye suggests. "I mean, I'm fairly certain that it's related to fire, considering the flames that shot out of your hands and then retreated back into your body, all while causing you no physical harm whatsoever."

"I always did kind of have a thing for fire," Grant tries to joke.

Skye cracks a hint of a smile before suppressing it again. "Right. Well, I think the first thing that we need to do is figure out exactly what you're capable of."

"No, the first thing Grant needs to do is rest," Abby counters with a stern look cast at Skye and then Grant. "Once he's well rested, you can help him figure out his abilities all you like."

"I think I've rested plenty," Grant says, trying to move off of the bed.

"Lie still, young man," Abby says, fixing him with a hard glare. "You'll move from that bed when I tell you to. Am I understood?"

Grant nods silently.

"Good. I have a few things I need to take care of, but I'll be back in a little bit." She looks to Skye. "Make sure he doesn't move out of that bed."

Skye nods. "I will."

Without another word, Abby collects some of her belongings and then makes her way out of the lab, leaving Grant alone with Skye.

He shifts on the bed, sitting up a little more and adjusting the cord from the IV in his arm. "So, how bad was it?" he asks after a minute.

"What?"

"What I did," he clarifies. "How bad was it?"

"Oh, um, not too bad, I guess. No one got seriously injured, which is a good thing. I think Lincoln got the wind knocked out of him."

"Good."

Skye just looks at him before letting out a small laugh. "Wow. That was a little blunt."

Grant shrugs. "He grates on my nerves. I don't like him."

"Well I don't think you'll have to worry about him anytime soon. I'm pretty sure he won't be coming near you again after what happened. In fact, I don't think that anyone will. Except for Abby, most likely."

"What about you?" he asks her. "Will you still be around?"

"Well, I did just sleep in here the whole time you were unconscious just so I could know if you were okay, so what do you think?"

Grant gives her a small smile.

Skye smiles back.

Thing are quiet for a moment between them before Skye takes a deep breath and then takes a small step forward. "So, I'm thinking, and you don't have to agree to this if you really don't want to, it's completely up to you of course. But really, what else would you do around here every day besides try and actively avoid everyone? I mean, it's not like you can ju—"

"Skye."

"Huh? What?"

Grant gives her half a smile. "Just tell me."

She shakes her head a little. "Right, sorry." She takes another deep breath. "So, like I was trying to say, after Abby gives you the all clear, I was thinking that maybe you could come and train with me and my team. I could help you figure out what exactly you can do and how to get control over your abilities. And then, once you feel you're ready, if you really want to, you can be a part of my team, even join us out in the field one day. What do you think?"

"What would Coulson say? Or anyone else on your team?"

Skye shrugs. "It doesn't matter what they think. It's my team, Coulson put me in charge. I call the shots; if they don't like it they can leave. Most of the guys on my team aren't even actual SHIELD agents. Just regular people who got dealt an unlucky hand and now have to live their lives being able to do things they couldn't do before."

"Can I think about it?" Grant asks her.

She nods. "Of course you can. Just don't take too long deciding."

"I won't."

"Good." She nods once and then takes a deep breath. "Now, I'm going to go get a shower and then something to eat since I haven't done either in a while. Will you be okay in here alone while I'm gone?"

He nods. "Yeah. I'll be fine."

"Alright. I'll see you later." She gives him a small smile before turning and making her way out of the med bay.

Grant lets out a breath and relaxes into his pillow, his gaze falling to the ceiling as he thinks about everything that's happened. He hates that he can't remember what exactly happened, but it's somehow brought him and Skye back together, even if it's not exactly how he's always wanted. At least she's willingly spending time around him and not actively avoiding him.

"I told you she loves you."

Grant turns his head to see Abby standing in the doorway, a knowing smile on her face as she looks at him.

He sighs. "Abby, please don't—"

"You may not see it yet," she interrupts him, "but you will eventually. Just give things some more time to unfold naturally."

"You don't have to tell me twice," he says. "The last thing I want is to force her to do anything she doesn't want to do. She deserves better than that."

"She deserves someone who will love her as much as you do," Abby tells him. "And that's the last I'll say on the subject. Now get some rest." She gives him a quick smile and pat on the leg before turning and leaving him alone again.

He sighs again as he lies back against his pillow, his eyes drifting back up to stare at the ceiling once again.

.

.

.

"Heard the Warden's finally letting you out today."

Turning around, Grant smiles brightly when he sees Skye standing in the entryway to his area of the med bay, leaning casually against the metal shelf next to her. Even though he just saw her last night he misses her. Every day that she stayed with him in the med bay and just talked with him was more than he could have hoped for.

Things between the two of them have started to get back to normal. Or, as normal as it can be considering where their lives are at now. He knows their relationship can never be what it was, but he doesn't want it to be. He doesn't want to lie to her anymore or keep secrets. It ate him up inside having to do that to her. He never wanted her to get hurt. She was the unknown variable when they started all of this, but she became the most important one in the end.

He gives her a small nod. "Yeah. She says there's not much else she can do for me in here after all the monitoring. Says that we just have to wait and see what happens next."

"Well it's good that you're getting out of here," she tells him, stepping further into the room. "I know I hate being holed up in the med bay. It sucks."

"At least I had you to keep me company while I was stuck in here," he says, giving her a small smile.

She nods. "Yes, there is that. I've been told I'm fantastic company." She takes a deep breath and shifts on her feet. "So, did Abby say how long you'd have to wait before we can start trying to figure out what exactly it is that you can do?"

Grant shakes his head. "Not really. All she said was to take it easy and not overexert myself."

"Then we won't do that. We'll make sure you only do what you can physically handle at a slow pace to build up your stamina with your powers."

Grant nods. "Sounds good. So uh, where are we going to be training my powers?"

"We have a special room for that," she tells him. "Figured it'd be better to have a room separate from regular agents for Inhumans to use and train in with their abilities. I'm pretty sure it's fireproof."

"Let's hope it is," he says.

"Even if it isn't, I think I'll be fine when I'm in the room with you. I seem to be pretty fireproof around you."

Grant furrows his brows. "What?"

"Your flames," she tells him. "You obviously don't remember, but when you were passed out in that closet I touched you but your flames didn't burn me. I couldn't even feel them."

"I'm glad they didn't burn you," he says. "I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if I did something to hurt you, even if it wasn't in my complete control."

"Well then it's a good thing we don't have to worry about that," she says.

"Yeah, I guess so." He shifts a little. "So, uh, what's the first step with training my powers?" he asks her. He lets out a breath. "Wow. I never thought I'd ask a question like that."

"None of us ever do. But uh, the first thing we have to do is figure out what the best way to trigger your abilities is, so that you can work on controlling it."

He nods. "Right. And how long do you think it'll take?"

She shrugs. "Everyone's different."

He sighs. "Great."

She steps forward and rests a hand on his shoulder, giving him a soft smile. "Hey, it's going to be fine. I'm going to help you get through this, okay?"

He nods slowly. "Okay."

"Oh, um, sorry if I'm interrupting. I can come back later."

"No, Fitz, it's okay," Skye says, turning to her friend with a small smile. "I was actually just leaving myself. I have a few things I need to do for Coulson." She looks back at Grant. "I'll be back later." She gives Fitz's shoulder a quick squeeze as she walks past him out of the room.

"She shouldn'ta done that," Fitz speaks up after a quiet moment, wringing his hands together with his eyes locked on the floor. "Simmons," he clarifies. "I found out what she did and she shouldn'ta done that. She just left you alone there in the closet and refused to help you, it's not right."

Grant shrugs. "I'm not mad."

"Well I am," Fitz says, looking up. "She has the knowledge and capability to help, so she should have."

"Fitz, it's fine, really," he says, trying his best to reassure the other man that he's really okay with how things turned out. "I don't blame her for not wanting to help me. I wouldn't expect that from any of you. None of you owe me anything."

"Maybe not, but you're still a human being. You shouldn't be treated like garbage."

He cracks a small smile at the Scotsman's words. He never expected for Fitz to speak like that about him again. Not after everything he did.

"Thanks, Fitz. But really, I'm going to be fine. Skye asked me if I wanted to join her team of Inhumans, and she's going to help me learn how to control my new powers."

"Oh, well good luck with that. I'm sure it won't be easy."

"Probably not. But when has anything in my life ever been easy?" He lets out a low chuckle.

Fitz huffs a laugh of his own. "Right, yeah." The other man shifts on his feet. "Well, uh, I should probably let you rest some more. I just wanted to see how you're doing now I've got the chance since I've been so busy the last few days. I'll see you around, though, yeah?"

Grant nods. "Yeah, sure."

"Great." Fitz gives him a tight lipped smile before turning and walking out of the med bay, leaving him alone in the room once again with just his thoughts to keep him company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Also, working on a new Skyeward story and I'm looking for some twitter handles/Tumblr URLs to include within the story. If you want yours featured, let me know. :)
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya! Some more development in this chapter, and a familiar face joins the party. :)
> 
> Enjoy!

Taking a deep breath, Grant closes his eyes and focuses all of his energy on his newfound abilities, trying hard to get flames to engulf his hands. Cracking one eye open, he sees not so much as a tiny spark at one of his fingertips.

Letting out a frustrated groan, he slumps his shoulders and kicks the toe of his shoe against the cement. "This is pointless. I can't do it."

"Hey, don't talk like that. Do you know how long it took me to get a handle on my abilities? I was terrified I was going to break everything around me, and it kept me from really embracing them. Until I went to Afterlife and learned how to control and focus them."

"Too bad Afterlife was destroyed," he remarks, crossing to one of the benches in the room and sitting down.

"Just because it's been destroyed doesn't mean you can't still learn to control your abilities. Most of the Inhumans here didn't have Afterlife and they're doing just fine. Because they have someone to help guide them along the way. Like I'm trying to do for you."

"I don't know how to do this, though," he tells her. "I don't know how to make the flames. Last time...last time it just sort of...happened."

"Well what was going on the last time?" she asks, sitting next to him on the bench. "What happened right before the flames came out?"

He swallows thickly as bits and pieces of that day come to the forefront of his mind. "Um, I was in the hall, I think, and I could feel people staring at me and whispering."

"Jerks."

The edge of his lips twitch. "Yeah. And uh, there was...there was this voice in my head, taunting me. And then it got louder and other voices were there too. Someone said something and then it felt like I was trapped...like I was there but I couldn't control what I was doing. Kind of like when Hive used me as a host body. But I couldn't see anything, only hear what was happening."

"And then what happened?"

"I ran. I think. Everything was hot. And I just wanted to get away. When you found me...I thought everything was going to be okay. But then something happened, I'm not exactly sure what, but something happened. Then the flames were there."

"You were probably scared," she concludes. "Someone started moving toward you and you must have thought they were going to hurt you so you protected yourself."

He shrugs. "I guess."

"The flames must be some kind of extension of you, they reacted to your emotions and then when you passed out in the closet they disappeared."

He nods. "Yeah, I guess that makes some sense. Especially the part you mentioned earlier about how my flames didn't hurt you. I don't remember much of what happened, but I do remember you being there. I didn't feel threatened when you were there, I felt safe. I always feel safe when I'm with you."

"Even when I shot you that one time?" she asks him.

He shrugs. "You were hurting. Because of what I did. I don't blame you for that."

"You should," she tells him. "You could have died."

"But I didn't. Which is how I can be here, having this conversation with you, about trying to control my Inhuman powers." He tilts his head. "I wonder which of my parents had the Inhuman gene." He laughs darkly. "Oh, I wish it was my father. He'd be the very thing he hated; different."

"Sounds like one hell of a guy," she says with a sarcastic lilt.

Grant snorts. "You don't even know the half of it." His jaw hardens at the thought of his father. "What I wouldn't do to see the look on his face now with what I'm capable of once I get a handle on it."

"Grant, your hands."

"What?" He looks down to see bright hot flames engulfing his hands, flickering in and out. "But how…?"

"What were you feeling when you were thinking about your dad?"

"How much I hate him for everything he let happen to me." The flames jump before settling again.

"Wow. I was right. They  _are_  tied to your emotions. Whenever you're feeling angry or scared they must come out to protect you. Or something along those lines."

"Yeah, maybe."

"Now try to get them to go away. Think of something to calm yourself down, something that makes you calm and relaxed and safe."

Grant's brows furrow together for a moment before letting his body relax, the flames dying out a few seconds later.

Skye breathes out. "Wow. That's amazing." She quickly looks up at him. "What did you think of?"

He ducks his head. "You."

"Oh." She shifts on the bench before standing up. "Well, I think that's enough for today, right? Don't want to overwork you too early. At least we know the basics of what triggers your abilities. Now we just have to work on trying to control it."

He nods. "Yeah, right, good plan. I uh, I think I'm going to work out for a bit."

"Sounds good. I'm uh—"

"Hey, Tremors."

Grant lifts his head at the voice, looking toward the doorway to see a tall, muscular African American man leaning inside. The man seems familiar, he just can't quite place from where.

"Hey, Mack," Skye says with a small smile on her face, looking at the man. "What's up?"

"Oh, uh, Coulson needs you for something. Didn't say what."

Skye sighs. "Of course he didn't. I'll be right there."

Mack nods. "Great. So uh, is this our new Inhuman friend I heard about?"

"Yeah. Mack, this is Grant. Grant, Mack." She looks fully at him. "Mack is my partner with the Inhuman team. He helps me run things."

He looks at Mack. "Nice to meet you."

Mack nods once. "You as well." He looks at Skye. "You need anything from me?"

Skye shakes her head. "Nope, I'm good."

"Alright." Mack gives her a small smile before turning and making his way down the hall.

Skye takes a deep breath. "Right, well, I guess I better go and see what Coulson wants. I'll see you around." She gives him a tight smile before turning and leaving the room.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Grant leans his head against the wall behind him, his eyes closing briefly.

After a moment, he opens his eyes, lifts his head, and makes his way over to the bag hanging from the ceiling in a far corner of the room.

He quickly wraps his hands with a practiced ease, using the tape from one of the shelves hanging on the wall near him.

Positioning himself directly in front of the bag, he his his hands up in front of him, takes a deep breath, and then strikes.

.

.

.

"How did your training go?"

Grant looks up from the ingredients in front of him to see Fitz standing on the other side of the counter, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans.

He shrugs. "Okay. Skye thinks she knows what triggers my abilities."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"What does she think, then?"

"That it has something to do with my emotions. That the flames are tied to them somehow and come out whenever I get worked up too much, like they're an extension of me."

"Well from what I've heard, you were a bit on edge with that whole closet ordeal and Lincoln coming at you like he did."

"I mean, I guess so. I can't remember everything about it, I just know that I wanted to get away from everyone and wanted them to stop tormenting me, whatever it took. I didn't care what happened."

Fitz nods. "Ah. I'm sorry."

"I'm not. I don't care about anyone else here or what happens to them," he says sharply, focusing back on the vegetables in front of him on the counter.

After a quiet moment he pauses in his chopping. "Are people scared of me now?" he asks the other man.

"Um, what?"

"Are people scared of me now?" he repeats, looking up. "People around here like you, Fitz, they talk to you. Are they all scared of me now because of what I can do?"

"Um, I think they're more scared of you now than ever," Fitz answers honestly. "They were scared before because of the Hydra and then Hive business, but now that you have these abilities, it's making them all more wary and cautious."

"Good."

"Good?"

Grant nods. "Yeah. If they're scared, then chances are high that they'll leave me alone, right? That's all I want. To be left alone." He shifts on his feet. "I mean, I don't mind being around you and Skye, but everyone else, I just...I can't do it. They're always staring at me and whispering things and I hate it."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," he says with a small shake of his head before focusing back on the food preparations in front of him. He just wants to forget about everyone else for a while, not worry about them and what they're thinking. But it's not easy.

"So, um, what are you making?" Fitz asks him.

Grant glances up at the Scotsman. "Oh, um, roasted chicken and vegetables. It's one of the recipes that Abby gave me. One of my first days here I told her how I didn't really have a favorite dish because of the life I led, and she insisted on cooking me different meals to try and find that favorite dish."

"She did?"

"Yeah. But when I told her I knew how to cook already, she said that she'd just give me the recipes and I could do it myself. So that's what I'm doing."

"Oh. Well it smells delicious. I'm sure it'll taste just as."

"Do you...do you want some?" Grant asks hesitantly. Despite the fact they've been talking more, he's still not sure how much time Fitz actually wants to spend around him. "I've barely started and I can tell that this recipe makes more than one helping, and I haven't really been up to eating a whole lot of food lately, so chances are I won't even finish my own serving. So I'd be more than okay with giving some of it to you. If you want. You can eat it here, or somewhere else, I don't mind."

"Oh, um, y-yeah. That's fine. I'll stay and eat here."

He gives the other man a small smile. "Great. As soon as it's done I'll make you up a plate."

"Sounds good. I'll uh, I think I'll just watch some TV until it's ready."

He nods. "Okay."

.

.

.

"Food's ready," Grant calls out to the other end of the room as he sets two plates down on the table just off to the side of the kitchenette.

He busies himself as he waits for Fitz to join him, keeping his eyes trained on the table.

When he hears chair legs lightly scraping against the floor, he takes his own seat and grabs his fork to begin eating.

He avoids eye contact with Fitz as the other man takes his first few bites of the meal.

"Wow."

He looks up then to see Fitz staring down at his plate with a tiny hint of a smile on his face.

"This is really good," Fitz says, lifting his head.

"You really think so?"

Fitz nods. "Absolutely. I had no idea you could cook like this."

"My Grandmother taught me," he admits. "She's the best cook I know, taught me how to cook as I was growing up."

"She sounds like a great woman."

He frowns. "She was. She's dead now."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

He shakes his head. "It was a long time ago."

"Still, that can't have been easy to deal with."

"It wasn't. But it's all in the past now. What matters now is moving forward, right?"

Fitz shrugs. "I guess so."

The two eat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, savoring the different flavors coming out in the meal Grant cooked for them. Grant's more than happy to not talk as long as Fitz stays. He genuinely misses how things used to be between the two of them.

"Fitz? What are you doing? I thought you came to get something to eat and then you'd be back. It's been a while."

"I did come get some food," Fitz tells the woman that just walked in. "Ward was cooking and offered me some of what he was making. It's good, Jemma, really good. You want some?"

He sinks a little in his chair when Simmons narrows her eyes at him. "No, thank you. I'd rather not risking getting poisoned or something along those lines."

"But I didn't—"

"I don't care." She turns to Fitz. "I take it I won't be seeing you for a while longer?"

"Um, no, I guess not."

She nods once. "Right. I'll be going then." Without another word she spins on her heel and is out of the room, leaving Grant sunk down in his chair and Fitz with a hard look on his face.

"She shouldn't be so rude to you," Fitz comments as Grant slowly sits back up in his chair. "You can't help what happened to you."

"I don't blame her," Grant tells him. "She's upset with everything that happened that was out of her control and needs someone to blame. I'm the best person for that, considering I caused a lot of it."

"But she shouldn't blame you for every horrible thing that happened. You're not the only one who thought the pod would float."

Grant's breath catches. "How did you…?"

Fitz shrugs. "I put two and two together. Not until recently, though. Thinking back on everything, that look on your face, how you could have just shot us to get it over with. Those pods are designed to float in the water, not sink to the bottom. It should have floated. As a specialist, you probably studied the specs of the plane before you got on, to know all the ins and outs in case something ever happened. Hence, the pod and you thinking it would float. I assumed it would as well."

"I never wanted you to die," he admits quietly, staring down into his meal. He grips his fork a little tighter. "I just...I couldn't let Garrett get to you either. What he would have done to you would have been way worse." He shakes his head. "I couldn't let that happen."

"And I'm glad you didn't," Fitz tells him. "As much as I hate what I had to deal with, with my head and my arm, it's better than being dead. I was able to get better from all that. I just...I want you to know that I'm not upset anymore. We can't go back and change things, no matter how much we wish we could. And I know you were in a tough spot. I miss my friend, Grant."

He looks up. "I'm...you still think of me as a friend?"

Fitz shrugs. "Well...yeah. I mean, we can't go back to how things used to be, but we can definitely be better than before."

Grant gives a small smile. "I'd really like that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts. :)
> 
> Also, working on a new Skyeward story and I'm in need of some twitter handles/Tumblr URLs to use. If you want yours featured, let me know.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya! This chapter wasn't originally part of the story, but idea come to me and chapters get adjusted as I write out new things to include in the story. I was going to post a chapter while I was on vacation, but then I got the idea for this chapter, and so I didn't post.  
> But I'm posting now. Not a lot of action or plot in this one, but I still think it's pretty good.
> 
> Enjoy!

Footsteps against the tiled flooring just outside the gym draws Grant's attention away from the punching bag swaying in front of him. He pauses, using his hands to still the bag, and casts a curious, yet cautious, glance over his shoulder.

A small Hispanic woman enters the room, not having noticed him just yet, and moves toward one of the benches off to the side. He watches quietly as she wraps her hands, preparing herself for a workout.

He turns back to the bag in front of him after a moment, closing his eyes and taking a few slow, deep breaths to calm his heart and the flames dancing just under the surface of his skin. He doesn't know this person. Maybe she's friendly. Maybe she doesn't want to hurt him.

_Everyone wants to hurt you._

He closes his eyes tighter at the voice, shaking his head to get rid of it.

"Are you okay?"

He opens his eyes and looks over his shoulder at the woman. "I'm fine," he says to her.

"You don't seem fine."

"I'm fine," he repeats quickly. "Just tired."

"How long have you been here?"

"Not long."

She's silent for a moment, her eyes squinting and her head tilting as she watches him. "You are Grant Ward."

It's not an accusation or said with any malicious intent, just a fact of who he is.

"Unfortunately for most everyone around here, I am."

"Mack spoke of you."

That piques his interest and he spins fully to face her. "You know Mack?"

"We are together."

"Ah. Well, I've only spoken to him a few times, but I can tell he's a good man."

She gives a small smile. "One of the best. I am Yo-Yo, by the way."

His brows furrow. "Yo-Yo?"

"My real name is Elena."

"What's with Yo-Yo, then?" he asks.

"It is because of what I can do."

"And what can you do?"

Things are silent in the room as he watches her stand there in front of him. He blinks and then she's smirking at him.

"What?" he asks. "Are you going to show me?"

She simply nods her head at him and he glances down to see his hands unwrapped. His brows furrow in deep confusion as he pulls the cloth back up from the ground where it dangles from his hand. He looks up at her.

"But how?"

"I'm fast," she says. "But I can only move as far as I am able to in a single heartbeat. And I always return to the same spot at the end."

"Hence the name Yo-Yo," he realizes.

She nods. "Yes."

"So you're an Inhuman, then."

"I am."

"So am I."

"That is what I have heard."

"What else have you heard?"

"Plenty. I have also seen a few things."

He swallows thickly, his heart starting to race. "You were here for Hive, weren't you?"

She nods, her face voice of emotion. "I was. I helped to fight him."

His breathing gets heavier and he takes a few steps back, wanting to put more distance between them. He's not sure what's going to happen next. But he doesn't want to be there anymore.

_No one cares what you want._

His closes his eyes and presses his hands to his temples, shaking his head and gritting his teeth together. The flames crack at his fingertips, wanting to be released.

"Hey. Are you alright?"

He looks up quickly at her. "What?"

"You look sick."

"I'm fine."

"You said that before.

"Because it's true. I'm fine. Just-"

"Tired, yes. Maybe you should go to your bunk and get some rest."

His brows furrow. "You're not going to try and kill me?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because of what I did," he tells her. She wouldn't be the first one to try and kill him. He wouldn't blame her if she did.

"That was not you," she tells him firmly. "You had no control. You were being used. Just as Skye was."

"She was being used by me."

"That was not you," she tells him again.

He doesn't respond to her, just turns his head away and stares at the wall nearest him.

"Will you show me?"

He looks back at her. "What?"

"Will you show me what you can do? I believe I caught a glimpse of flames at your fingers. That is what you control, yes?"

He shrugs. "I guess so. But I don't think it's all fire that I can control. Just...just uh, just what's inside me. Skye thinks they're tired to my emotions. That they come out when I'm scared or feeling threatened. But I'm working on channeling it so that I don't hurt anyone with them."

"Can I see?" she asks him.

"Uh, I guess so. I can't do a lot with them right now."

"That is alright." She gives him a small, encouraging smile.

"Okay." He takes a deep breath and takes a step away from the punching bag. He holds one hand up in front of him, palm side up, and focuses all of his attention in the center of his hand. His brows furrow together and his lips purse as he concentrates.

A few seconds later, a small, glowing ball of fire builds up, floating just above the surface of his skin. It cracks and sparks as it grows. He lets it sit there for a moment before extinguishing it.

He looks up at Elena. "That's about all I can make it do right now. We're still working. And just doing that usually takes a lot out of me."

"I am sure it does. That is truly amazing, what you can do. How long have you had your abilities?"

"Not too long. A couple of weeks, maybe? It happened not that after I got here."

"Well you seem to have a good control over it."

"Skye's pretty good at helping me."

"Yes, she has a way with helping people. Are you two…"

He shakes his head. "No. We're not. At least, I don't think we are. Things are a little...complicated."

"Why does it have to be? You like someone, they like you back, you are together."

"Things have never been that easy for me and Skye. I don't know if it can ever be that easy for us after everything that we've been through."

"You will never know unless you try."

He tilts his head. "Why do you want me and Skye to be together?"

"She deserves to be with someone who will love and care for her, much like Mack cares for me. Even with Hive, I could tell that you cared."

"It's because I care that I'm not saying anything to her about this. I don't want to make things weird for her or send her running."

"She is strong. You should not worry too much."

"Can't help it," he retorts with a small shrug. He takes a deep breath. "So, uh, did you want the gym?"

She shrugs. "I do not mind sharing."

He waves her off. "It's fine. I'm kind of tired. Enjoy your workout." He gives her a hint of a smile as he walks past her to grab his things off the bench.

He unwraps his hands the rest of the way and shoves the cloth into the small bag he has with him before picking it up, along with his water bottle and towel, and makes his way toward the locker room.

"I hope you feel better," he hears Elena call softly after him.

He sighs, muttering under his breath, "So do I."

.

.

.

"I met Elena today."

Skye looks up from her laptop to the other end of the couch where Grant is sitting reading one of the few books she managed to acquire for him. It's not his usual taste, she doesn't think, but at least it's something to keep him busy.

"You did?" she asks.

He nods. "I was working out and she came in. We talked."

"About what?"

"Hive."

"Grant…"

"She said she doesn't blame me for what happened."

"She did?"

"Not in those exact words, but basically. She's nice, I like her."

She smiles softly at that. "I'm glad. It'll definitely be better for you to get along with the other Inhumans if you decide you want to join the team. Missions definitely go a lot smoother if everyone gets along and works well with each other."

"I don't think I'm ready for that just yet," he tells her.

"It's fine, I know you're not. I'm not trying to pressure you, I promise. And before you ask, I didn't send her there to talk to you. That's just a happy coincidence on my end." She smiles.

He smiles back. "Yeah, I guess it is. Is she really dating Mack?"

She nods. "Mm-hmm. There was a little bit of a language barrier at first, considering she's from Colombia and knew zero English, and they didn't exactly see eye to eye at first, but after they realized a few things they both put in the effort to learn each other's first language. It was very sweet."

"Sounds like it." He shifts in his seat and looks down.

"Hey, what's in your head over there?" she asks him curiously after a quiet moment of watching him just stare at the carpet.

He looks back up at her and shakes his head. "Nothing. Just uh, it's still a little weird having people around here being nice to me. First it was Abby, then you and Fitz, then Mack, now Elena. It's not exactly something I got used to after everything that happened, or expected to see again."

She takes a deep breath. "Well, personally, I think it's not all that bad that people are starting to show you a little kindness. Kindness goes a long way in the end. And maybe this'll be good for you, to have a few friends around here. Might make things a little easier going forward."

He shrugs. "I guess so. And I think...I think I might like being a part of your team one day, if the others are anything like Elena."

She smiles. "That's great to hear. And it's not that big of a team at the moment, but I'm sure it'll grow over time. And I think the only one you'll really have to worry about is Lincoln, but I'll do what I can to make sure you two don't work together."

"That would be my preference."

She laughs quietly at that, making a mental note to try and pair Grant up with Elena in training exercises whenever he decides that he wants to join the team officially. If she knows there's at least one person that he'll get along with on her team, then she's going to take that opportunity and ride with it. And she knows that once Elena realizes Grant can speak Spanish that they'll be two peas in a pod and constantly speaking the language to each other and becoming closer friends. That's all she wants for him, to feel accepted and wanted by anyone who's willing to give him the time of day.

She watches as he waits for a moment before settling back down on the couch with his book, opening the pages once again and letting his eyes roam across the words written out.

His eyes flit back and forth across the pages, his lips slightly parted, occasionally mouthing some of the words and phrases he comes across.

She can't help but smile at that. It's something she's sure he hid away back on the Bus, not wanting others to get this small glimpse of the real him. But she loves it, she loves getting to see all the small details of him that she never would have seen before.

"Are you enjoying your book?" she asks him softly, not wanting to startle him completely.

He glances up from the book and gives her a half smile. "Yeah. It's pretty good. Thanks, again, for getting it for me."

She smiles back at him. "Not a problem. I know it's probably not your usual style of book, but I figured it's better than just sitting staring at a wall all day."

He nods his head. "That it is." He gives her another small smile before focusing back on his book.

She watches him for just a moment longer before turning her own attention back on the computer screen in front of her, taking comfort in the fact that Grant seems to be doing well. Things are really starting to look up and she couldn't be happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Working on a new Skyeward story and I'm need of some twitter handles/Tumblr URLs. If you want yours featured, let me know. :)
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya! Just in case any of you thought this story was gonna be smooth sailing, you were all very wrong.
> 
> Enjoy!

"Okay, now try to make something out of it."

"Like what?" Grant asks, concentrating on the ball of flames in his palm. He'd managed to engulf his hand in the flame before getting it to curl together into one ball, floating in the middle of his palm.

"I don't know," Skye says. "Try a simple shape. Like a square, or a triangle."

"What about a sphere?" he counters. "Because I'm kind of already doing that one."

She smiles. "Yeah, a sphere is fine."

"Good. Because I'm not sure if I can do any other shapes at this point."

She laughs quietly. "I'm sure in time you will. You just have to keep practicing. You've been at this for about a week and look how far you've already come. Eventually you'll get really good at it and will be able to do it without even thinking."

"Muscle memory," he says.

Skye nods. "Yeah, kinda. It'll be so much a part of you that you won't have to work as hard to make anything happen. It'll be like second nature to you."

After another moment, the ball of flame disappears and Grant closes his fist, letting out a breath. He looks up at Skye. "So how'd I do?" he asks her.

She smiles softly. "You always do great. I'm really proud of the progress you're making."

He smiles back. "Thanks. But uh, I think I'm going to go and rest now. Working like this always seems to make me tired."

"Understandably so. You've been working hard lately. You deserve a break. I actually have a few things I need to go and take care of anyway, so this is perfect timing." She slowly starts backing away toward the door. "I'll see you tomorrow for more training?"

He nods. "Yeah. I'll be here."

"Great. See you then." She gives him a small wave before turning and disappearing out the door.

Walking over to one of the benches lining the wall of the training room, Grant picks up the dirty towel he'd used for his workout before training with his abilities. He carries it with him as he walks to the door, dropping the towel into the laundry hamper as he passes.

Stepping out into the hallway, he begins making his way down toward his bunk, eager to get that nap he so desperately needs and wants.

"Fitz," he calls out to the Scotsman when he sees him walking down the hallway. "Come over here for a second."

"Hi," Fitz says, stopping right in front of Grant.

"Hey. Check this out." He furrows his brows in deep concentration before opening his palm and creating a small ball of fire in the center of it, morphing it into a tight sphere floating just above his skin. He looks up at Fitz with a smile on his face. "Cool, huh?"

Fitz nods. "Very."

Grant extinguishes the flame and closes his palm. "Since we know what triggers my powers now, Skye's been helping me learn how to control and focus them. I can really only do the ball of flame in my palm right now, though."

"At least it's something," Fitz tells him.

"Yeah. I guess so." His shoulders slump a little. "I just...I wish that I could do more and really see what I'm capa—"

"Freak."

Grant stills at the voice, his body tensing up. He doesn't move from his spot in the hallway, his hands immediately clenching into fists down at his sides.

_He's not wrong. You know he's not._

His eyes close tightly and he gives a hard shake of his head, trying to get rid of the voice. He was doing so well. He thought he was. He thought he was doing better.

"Don't listen to him," Fitz's voice just barely breaks through the haze in his mind.

He opens his eyes and looks at his friend. "What?"

"I said don't listen to him," Fitz repeats. "He's a jerk. He doesn't really even know you, he's just going along with what everyone else around here is saying about you. Bloody mob mentality. No one can think for themselves anymore."

"You can."

Fitz scoffs. "Well, yeah. I'm brilliant."

He cracks the tiniest hint of a smile at Fitz's remark. "Yes you are."

_But you aren't._

His face drops, he shifts on his feet, and swallows thickly. "Uh, I think I'm going to go back to my bunk and try to get some sleep. I'm kind of tired."

"Right, of course. I'll see you later?"

He nods. "Yeah, sure." He gives Fitz a tight smile before turning and making his way down the hall toward his bunk as quickly as he can without causing any panic from nearby agents. That's the last thing he wants.

.

.

.

"What the hell? Why is the fire alarm going off?" Skye steps out of her bunk and into the hallway, meeting up with a few other agents who are all just as confused by the sudden disturbance as she is.

"Skye!"

Her brows furrow in confusion at seeing the older woman approaching her. "Abby? What are you doing over here?"

"I thought I should probably come and find you. It's Grant."

Her heart sinks. "What's going on?"

"He's causing the fire."

"What do you mean?"

Abby shakes her head. "There's no time to explain right now. We need to get to Grant."

She follows quickly after Abby, running down the hall in the direction of Grant's bunk, praying to whoever is listening that he'll be okay.

Upon reaching Grant's room, they both come to a quick stop when they hear screaming coming from the other side of the door.

"What the hell's happening to him in there?" Skye asks, not really expecting an answer, but her heart racing at the thought of Grant being hurt somehow.

"I don't know," Abby tells her. "But I'm afraid the door handle might be too hot for us to get through on our own, especially with the flames leaking through the cracks under and around the door."

"I can do it," Skye insists, staring down the door. "Grant's flames, I don't really know why, but they don't hurt me."

"Are you sure?"

Skye nods. "Positive." She takes a deep breath before moving forward and grabbing hold of the handle on the door. "Damn!" she shouts, taking a quick step back from the door. "What the hell?" She looks down at her reddening palm in confusion. "That can't be right. That doesn't usually happen." She looks at the door. "Something's wrong."

"Let me take care of your hand," Abby says, reaching for her.

Skye shakes her head. "Not right now, I'll be fine. Grant's the priority. We just need to get this damn door open."

"Here, try these."

Skye turns her head and gives a small smile when she sees Fitz approaching with a pair of heavy duty oven mitts.

"Thanks," she says, taking the items and slipping them onto her hands before turning back to the door.

She takes another deep breath before stepping toward the door again and grabbing hold of the handle. Pulling the door open, she takes a small step back at the massive flames that shoot out the doorway quickly before retreating back into the room.

"What the hell?" she mutters, tossing the oven mitts aside.

"Skye, be careful," Abby says.

"It's okay, Abby. I'll be fine." She takes a deep breath before sidestepping the flames and easing her way into the room, slowly creeping toward Grant's bedside, being careful to avoid as many of the flames as she can. If she was able to get a burned hand from the doorknob, she doesn't want to know what could happen if one of those flames hit her.

"Grant?" she calls out softly when she reaches him. "Grant, can you hear me? If you can hear me, you need to wake up."

She watches as he continues to thrash around in his bed, the blankets tightening around his legs and being burned to shreds, before something small flies past her ear and lands in Grant's neck. The flames dissipate quickly.

She spins around to find Abby standing in the doorway to the room, a dart gun held up in her hand and a determined look set on her face.

"What the hell was that?"

"Tranquilizer." She lowers the gun and moves further into the room. "And a whole hell of a lot of it. His body metabolizes substances a lot quicker than ours do, so I had to give him a higher dosage than I would to someone else."

"Where did you even get that?"

"I had Fitz run and get it for me. Now help me get him to the med bay so I can run a few tests to make sure he's still alright."

She nods. "Yeah, okay." She steps forward and lifts one of Grant's arms up around her shoulder and getting him into a seated position. She waits for Abby to do the same and then they're lifting him off the bed and steadying themselves on their feet.

Breathing in deeply, she locks eyes with Abby and a silent conversation passes between them, startling her just barely that they're able to communicate so well without using words.

Together, they move toward the bunk door, pushing their way past all of the agents now gathered in the hallway watching the scene unfold. She narrows her eyes at a few agents, making their own eyes go wide as they back up and look away.

Damn nosy agents. Why can't they all just back off and leave him alone? He doesn't need all the extra attention on him.

Once they reach the med bay, they get him inside and over to the area where he normally goes. They struggle a bit but manage to get him up onto one of the tables, lying flat on his back.

"You better go and make sure his room is okay for when he goes back there," Abby tells her as the woman starts pulling out different pieces of equipment.

"But I—"

"There's nothing you can do for him in here right now," Abby explains gently. "But what you  _can_  do is make sure that there wasn't too much damage done to his room and that it's still habitable."

She nods slowly, eyeing Grant's unconscious body for a moment longer before turning and making her way out of the med bay and down toward the bunk.

.

.

.

A small groan escapes past his lips as he slowly comes back into consciousness. His head is pounding, and there's some residual heat pooled in his fingertips. He flexes his fingers, the heat quickly dissipating, and lets his body relax again.

"Grant?"

Cracking one eye open, he finds Abby standing near him, her brows knit together in concern as she watches him.

"Nice to see you awake, hun. Are you feeling any better?"

He shrugs. "I don't know."

"Do you know what happened?"

He shrugs again.

"You were sleeping," Abby tells him. "You were getting restless, which I've come to realize is rather normal for you. But then your temperature started rising very quickly. Then the fire alarm went off."

He takes a moment to let the information sink in, the knowledge of what he did. Did he really cause the fire alarms to go off? In his sleep?

He chances a glance up at Abby. "It was really me? I—I caused the alarms to go off?"

Abby nods. "You did. When Skye and I came to check on you, you were covered in flames and your bed had been very badly burned, and certain things had started to char or melt in your bunk."

"Skye was there?" he asks, swallowing down the lump in his throat.

"She was. Grant, do you know what caused the flames? You've had your powers for a little while already and nothing like this has happened before."

"Um, I think...I think it had to do with my dream. Well, a nightmare, is more like it."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I hurt her," he says quietly, eyes locked on the floor. "Skye. I hurt her. With my powers. And she was angry, so angry, and I tried to apologize, but she just kept saying over and over how she hated me and never wanted to see me again. I tried to tell her that I didn't mean to do it, that I didn't want to hurt her, but she didn't believe me. All I ever do is hurt people. Maybe I'm not meant to be happy."

"Do not speak like that."

He scoffs. "Why shouldn't I?"

"Because it's not right."

"Can I go now?" he asks in response, not wanting to continue the current conversation and to just go back to his bunk and get away from everyone. "I feel fine."

Abby sighs and nods. "Yes, you can go. But come and see me immediately if you start feeling unwell."

He gives her a tight smile. "I will." He slides off the bed after she removes the few wires and diodes, and then exits the med bay, avoiding eye contact with the other agents present in the room.

He moves quickly down the hall, wanting to just get back to his room and avoid everyone that might try and interfere.

"Grant, hey, you're awake."

He stops at her voice, his heartbeat quickening just a bit. He turns around to face her. "Uh, yeah, I am. Abby let me leave so I'm headed back to my room."

"And how are you feeling?" she asks him.

He shrugs. "Okay, I guess. Just tired."

She nods. "Yeah, that's understandable."

His breath catches when he sees the bandage wrapped around her hand as she brushes some loose strands of hair back behind her ear.

"Wh-what happened?" he asks, gesturing to the bandage.

She pulls her hand down and looks at the bandage. She glances up at Grant. "Oh, that. I uh, I went to open your bunk door and the handle was really hot. I thought I'd be fine because usually your flames don't hurt me, but I guess there's a first time for everything, huh?" She lets out a small, huffed laugh.

Grant's face pales at the new information, his heart sinking down into his stomach. He hurt her? He actually her? It wasn't just in his dream. It was real.

"Grant? Are you okay? Where'd you go just now?"

"I uh, um, I have to go. I'm tired so I'm going to go sleep for a bit."

She nods. "Okay. Just no more late night bonfires, alright?"

He gets the joke, but he doesn't laugh. He can't. Not when she got injured because of something he did. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Skye. He didn't think that he could. At least, not with his flames. He thought she wasn't able to get hurt by his flames.

He swallows thickly. "I'll, uh, I'll do my best."

Without another word to her, he turns on his heel and continues down toward his bunk, trying to push away the image of an injured Skye out of his mind.

_All you'll ever do is hurt her._

His eyes close tightly and his hands curl into fists.

He lets out a quick, loud scream before barreling the rest of the way to his bunk, hurriedly pushing open the door, and then locking himself inside in the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya! This one...is not easy.
> 
> Enjoy!

"I'm really worried about him, Abby," Skye confesses, sitting near the older woman's desk in the med bay and fiddling with some old scraps of paper she found lying about. "He barely eats anything anymore, and he refuses to leave his bunk. Not even Fitz is able to get him to leave. And those two were doing so well at repairing their friendship, I definitely thought he'd be able to get through to him."

"I wish I could help you, dear," Abby says sincerely. "But it sounds like Grant is starting to feel less and less comfortable with being here around all these people. Not that he was to start."

"I know, I just...I don't know how to help him if he won't let me. He doesn't even want to train with his abilities anymore. Which is not a good idea because then he won't be able to control and learn how to adapt to life with them. He's already doing really well, but if he doesn't continue then I'm really worried something bad is going to happen."

"Maybe you should try talking to him," Abby suggests.

"He's so damn stubborn, though," Skye practically yells, throwing her hands into the air. "It's been almost two weeks and I can't get him to leave his bunk. For anything."

"You just need to be patient," Abby tells her. "Grant's going through a tough time right now, I'm sure, so you just have to let things develop on their own time. He'll come around."

"I know that. I just...I'm running out of ideas, Abby."

"Like I said, you can try talking to him first. Even if he's not all that receptive, you should still talk to him, be honest and let him know how you feel about all of this. That's the only way that things can move forward."

Skye sighs. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that."

"Of course I am, dear. I've lived long enough to know a few things by now about people."

Skye laughs quietly. "Right, obviously."

"Skye? Is that you?"

"Hey, Jemma," Skye says as she slowly turns around, looking at the other woman with a small, forced smile. She's still not over the fact that Jemma refused to help her with Grant what feels like forever ago. "What are you up to?"

"I came by the lab to check on some things. It's certainly been a while, though. Didn't think I'd find you in here."

She gestures over her shoulder. "I was just talking to Abby."

"Ah. Agent Porter, hello." Simmons gives the older woman a polite nod.

"Agent Simmons."

Skye's eyes flit back and forth between the two women, taking notice of the sharpness in Abby's eyes as she stares down Simmons.

"Okay, well, I think I'm gonna go now," Skye speaks up, interrupting the tense silence.

"Where are you going?" Simmons asks, tearing her gaze away from Abby.

She hesitates for a split second. "Um, to check on Grant. There's something going on with him right now and I need to figure out what it is before it gets any worse."

Simmons scoffs. "You're still hanging around him? I surely thought you'd have come to your senses by now. You're better than that, Skye."

Skye quirks a brow, crossing her arms over her chest. "Better than what, Jemma?"

"Better than a monster like him. He doesn't deserve to have you waiting on him hand and foot, he doesn't deserve to be here on this base with people who are actually doing some good for the world."

"Are we really, though?" Skye questions. "Hydra was buried inside SHIELD for 70 years and no one even knew. Who's to say that we're not just as bad as them when it comes down to it."

"We're nothing like them," Simmons defends the organization. "We're the good guys in all of this. Grant Ward is a monster."

"Agent Simmons," Abby cuts in, taking a small step forward. "You may be a hot shot in your many fields of expertise, but it seems to me like you've still got quite a bit to learn about people and the world."

"I know plenty."

"But clearly not enough. Tell me, Agent Simmons, did you ever stop to ask why Grant did the things he did? How and why he ended up with John Garrett as a mentor? Why he is so traumatized by the things that are happening to him? No, you didn't. You took things as you wanted them to be so you had someone to blame for all the horrible things happening around the world."

"Skye did as well," Simmons accuses. "Why aren't you giving her this lecture as well instead of just me?"

"Yes, Skye may have jumped to some conclusions as well," Abby says with a small nod. "And while I may have wanted to do to her what I am doing to you, I didn't. Because I knew how much Grant cared about her and that he didn't want me to confront her, so I respected his wishes. And then she helped him when she didn't have to, when you, a woman who claims to be a medical professional, refused to help a man who needed medical help. It's disgraceful.

"You're someone with medical knowledge and you should have helped him as best you could. Skye helped him, and now she and Grant have made their peace, they've spoken and come to terms with things that have happened in the past and are choosing to move forward. And as I understand it, young Mr. Fitz has chosen to do the very same thing, to talk to Grant and work things out. I suggest that you and everyone else on this base consider doing the same thing. Now get the hell out of my sight."

Simmons opens and closes her mouth a few times before straightening her back, letting out a huff of air, and spinning on her heel to march out of the room.

"Grant's pretty lucky to have you on his side," Skye remarks to Abby once Simmons is out of range.

Abby smiles softly at her. "He's lucky to have the both of us, Skye."

"Were you really going to lay into me too if you'd had the chance?" Skye asks curiously.

"Dear, I would have went off on everyone on this base if I could. But Grant doesn't want any more trouble than he already has, so I've held my tongue. But there was just something about that woman and how she spoke that I couldn't hold it in any longer."

Skye smiles sadly. "Yeah, she actually used to be nicer and more soft spoken, if you can believe it. Everything with Hydra kind of turned her cold and not so nice."

"Everyone deals with things in their own way. It's not our place to judge, just to try and understand and hopefully help them deal with whatever is going on in their life."

Skye tilts her head and smiles. "Has anyone ever told you that you're very wise?"

Abby smiles and laughs quietly. "It comes from years of experience living on this planet. I'm sure you'll be wise too, when you're my age."

"I just hope I still look good," Skye replies. She takes a deep breath and shifts on her feet. "Well, I should probably go and check on Grant now."

Abby nods. "Yes, you should. Let me know if I can help with anything, alright?"

"I will," Skye says with a nod. "Promise." She gives Abby one last smile before turning and walking out of the med bay, down the hall, and toward Grant's bunk.

She passes a few agents in the hall and skillfully ignores their stares and whispers. She knows people are talking about her, and how she's helping Grant. Most of them aren't too pleased with her, but she honestly doesn't care. Grant's an Inhuman now, and she made a promise to help any and all Inhumans who will let her.

It also doesn't hurt that she's getting to see the parts of himself that he kept hidden away before, that he's slowly letting her see the real him. It's nice. She's missed spending time with him, like how it was back on the Bus, but this time it's better. It's real this time around, neither of them are lying or hiding. It's refreshing and definitely making her see him in a new light.

Finding herself in front of Grant's bunk door, she puts in her override code that she convinced Coulson to give her in case of an emergency after the whole incident in his bunk, and quietly pushes open the door.

"Grant?" she calls out softly as she peers inside. "Are you in here?"

"Where else would I be?" he mutters under his breath from his place on his bed, leaning back against the wall, opening and closing his fist. A small ball of fire appears every time he opens his hand, illuminating his upper body in the darkness of his room.

Skye sighs and steps into the room, closing the door tightly behind her. She flips on the light and sees him flinch out of the corner of her eye. "How are you doing?"

"I hate it here," he admits, extinguishing the flame and looking down. "Everyone either walks on eggshells around me or throws me glares and insults. They don't want me here, Skye."

"Then we'll get away," she tells him without hesitation. "We'll leave."

"I don't want to be anywhere," he admits quietly, his head down. He curls in further on himself. "No one wants me here, so why should I stay?"

"Hey," she says firmly, fearing where she thinks his thoughts are taking him, one hand resting on his arm. She ducks her head to look at him. " _I_  want you here. And so does Fitz. And Abby. You have people in your corner, Grant."

"Really?" he asks.

She nods. "Really. And I was serious before. We'll get away from here, wherever you want, for however long you want."

"I don't want to hurt you," he tells her.

"You won't," she assures him.

"Accidents happen."

Shifting on the bed, Skye grabs both of his hands in hers, holding tightly to them as she looks him in the eyes. "I trust you, Grant. With my life. Forever."

Grant tries to break eye contact with her, but something in her gaze holds him there.

"I'll give you some time to think about it," she tells him after a quiet moment. "We don't have to leave right away. We can wait until you're ready to go. Come and find me when you've made your mind up." She gives him a soft smile and quick squeeze of his hand before she stands from the bed and makes her way out of the bunk, leaving Grant alone with his thoughts once again.

.

.

.

Watching as she leaves his room, Grant looks back down at his hands, opening one palm and letting a small ball of fire grow.

He stares into the flame for a while, he's not sure for how long, thinking about Skye's offer for the two of them to get away from everyone and everything.

It's not the worst idea, but is he really going to be okay out in the world with Skye? Just the two of them alone? The last thing he wants to do is hurt her. She means too much to him. All the time they've spent together recently, he doesn't want any of that to go away, he likes spending time with her. More now than he ever has before. But none of that will go away if they leave together. He's just worried about what will happen.

Everything else may be jumbled up in his head amidst the constant voices taunting him, but the one thing he's clear on is how he feels about Skye. That's never changed.

Extinguishing the flame in his hand, Grant stands from his bed and crosses the room to his door. He pulls it open and steps into the hallway, closing the door tightly behind him.

Walking down the long hallway of the base in search of Skye, Grant doesn't even register the other body following behind him as he goes. He's really losing his touch if he didn't even notice the hairs on the back of his neck standing up and the sudden rush of heat down to his fingers.

"Ward. You and I need to talk."

He stops in the hallway, a lump forming in the middle of his throat when he turns around to see the blonde, electricity based Inhuman standing in front of him. There's some space between them, but not much. Grant takes a few steps back to create more distance.

He slowly holds his hands up. "Look, I don't want any trouble, okay? I just...I'm just trying to find Skye."

"You should be ashamed of yourself," Lincoln spits. "Trying to take another man's girl, it's pathetic."

"I'm not trying to take her," Grant insists. "She makes her own choices, and she chooses to spend her time with me, even if she deserves a whole lot better than me."

"You've got one thing right, she deserves better than you."

"But uh, didn't you two break up before I even showed up here?"

Lincoln's jaw clenches. "It's complicated."

"Is it, though?" Grant asks cautiously, flexing his fingers, trying to get the heat to subside. "If Skye ended things with you, then she must have had her reasons for doing so. I'm not trying to steal her from you. She's not something to steal, anyways, she's a person, not an object. And if you're going to treat her like one, then maybe you don't deserve to be with her."

"Oh, and you do?"

Grant shakes his head. "No. I don't. I never have."

"Yeah, you're right about that. You deserve to rot in hell."

Grant closes his eyes tightly, clenching his hands into fists, forcing the flames to stay inside. The last thing he wants is a repeat of what happened before. He doesn't want to hurt anyone. Not again.

"What's the matter, Ward. A little argument too much for the big bad super spy to handle?"

"Just leave me alone," he says through gritted teeth. "I told you I don't want any trouble."

"Well that's too damn bad for you, isn't it? Because I don't care for a second what you want. Nobody wants you here, Ward."

Pounding in his ears, blurriness in his vision, heat throughout his skin.

He closes his eyes tighter and clenches his fists harder, fighting back the flames trying to erupt out of his skin. They're biting roughly at his skin; there's no pain from burning, but there's an energy surging through him.

The faint, continued yelling from Lincoln seeps through the pounding in his ears. The flames dance at the top of his skin in response to the noise, eager to lash out and inflict some kind of pain.

Lincoln's yelling slowly fades out as red starts to tinge the edge of his vision, everything around him growing hotter.

"No," he mutters quietly. "No, no. I can't. I don't want to. Stop it. Please."

A strange coolness breaks through the heat briefly, but he doesn't allow himself much time to focus on it, too worried about the flames fighting to break free.

Opening his mouth, he lets out a loud scream before turning around and stumbling down the hallway, unsure of where he's going, just knowing that he needs to get away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya!
> 
> Enjoy!

Falling down onto the couch in the lounge area, Skye lets out a heavy sigh. She pulls her tablet into her lap and taps on the screen, bringing it back to life as she leans into the cushion behind her, trying her best to get comfortable and relieve some of the tension in her shoulders.

She logs into the tablet before opening up a few different apps and begins browsing the Internet aimlessly, not really having a purpose to it, just needing something to distract her for the time being.

She knows she has to give him some time to think about her offer for the two of them to get away, but she really hopes he doesn't take too long. She doesn't want him to be alone for too much longer, afraid of where his thoughts might turn. She was worried enough before, but now...now she's definitely way more worried about what he might do if she leaves him alone for too long with his thoughts.

She knows he's been having a hard time, but she also thought he was getting better, that being around a few people that were kind to him was helping him. Obviously she was wrong. Obviously he's not as happy as she was hoping he'd be. She just hopes he's not too far gone and that she can still find some way to help him.

"Hey, what are you up to over here?"

Skye lifts her head from her tablet and smiles at the man standing in front of her. "Hey, Mack."

"Hey. So what's up?" He takes up the seat next to her on the couch, leaning back into the cushion and letting out a breath as he rests his arms on the back of the couch. "What's on your mind?"

She shrugs. "Not much. Just...dealing with some things."

"Grant Ward related things?"

"How'd you know?" she asks, smiling sheepishly.

He laughs quietly. "Please, Skye, it's not that hard to notice. You care about him, a lot. Elena tells me that you've been extra focused on helping him deal with his abilities."

"I work closely with all the Inhumans we bring in."

He nods. "True. But apparently you take an even closer approach with him and spend more time with him than you do the others."

She shrugs, shifting a little in her seat. "His situation is delicate. He was already on edge when he showed up here, even before his abilities came to light."

"And now?" Mack prods.

She sighs. "Now...he's still on edge. Something's been going on with him recently and it has him all weird and closed off. More than he was before all of this. I haven't been able to get him to train with his powers in almost two weeks. Or even leave his room. Fitz has been trying too, but it's no use, he won't budge."

"Have you tried talking to him?"

"That's where I just was a few minutes ago," she tells him. "He kept saying how he doesn't want to be here, not that I blame him with how most of the people here have been treating him. So I told him we can leave if that's what he wants. I know it'd be a lot, leaving the Inhuman team on your shoulders, especially considering you're not one, but Grant's safety is the most important thing to me right now."

Mack gives her a small smile. "It's fine. You do what you need to do. We'll all be fine here. We may miss you, but we'll be fine. I'm sure Elena and I can handle things."

She smiles back. "Don't go talking like I'm leaving just yet. I'm still waiting for Grant to make a decision on if he really does want to leave or not. I told him to come find me when he decides."

"And how long do you think that'll be?"

"I don't know. Could be any minute. Could be a few hours. There's really no telling."

"Well I hope he comes to a decision soon."

She lets out a breath. "So do I."

There's a beat of silence before a small beeping starts emitting from Skye's tablet.

"I have to go," she says immediately after looking at the app that pops up on her screen, showing Grant's current location in the base, as well as his vital signs that are way higher than they should be.

"Why? What's going on?"

She shakes her head as she stands from her seat. "I don't know. Just that something's wrong with Grant and I need to make sure it isn't too bad."

Mack nods. "Go find him. I'll put your tablet away for you and handle training. You just worry about Grant."

She smiles at him. "Thanks, Mack." She turns around and bolts from the room, quickly making her way down the hall in the direction of where her tablet said that Grant is. She just hopes she's not too late to stop whatever's happening. Grant's been through enough already, she just wants make sure that he's safe and okay and not in any real danger.

Skidding to a stop, her heart sinks at finding Grant and Lincoln standing in the middle of the hallway, the latter spitting cruel insults at the former, who is breathing heavily with his head down, his eyes shut and his fists clenched tightly at his sides.

"Lincoln!" she shouts as she rushes closer to the scene. She looks back and forth between Grant and Lincoln. "What the  _hell_ is going on here?"

"Nothing," Lincoln sneers, his eyes never leaving Grant's shaking form. "Just reminding this guy where he belongs."

"That's not for you to decide," she snaps at him. "And I'm a little confused as to what made you think that it was your right to do so. As far as I'm concerned, Grant has done absolu-"

"No. No, no. I can't. I don't want to. Stop it. Please."

Whirling around to look at Grant, she watches as he breathes heavier and his fists clench tighter, his closed eyes directed at the ground. His jaw hardens a second later.

She takes a slow step toward him. "Grant? Grant, can you hear me?"

She watches as he hesitates for a moment before a loud scream escapes from him, causing her to jump back.

In the next moment, he turns and is running off down the hallway, stumbling a little on his feet.

Roughly whipping her head to the side, Skye shoots Lincoln a hard glare. "I'll deal with you later." She stares at him a second longer, the other Inhuman staring down the hall with a look of confusion on his face. Turning and rushing off after Grant down the hall, she calls out to him as she goes, begging for him to stop and just listen to her.

Her heart starts to sink even further into her stomach when she catches sight of the flames flickering against his body, growing bigger with each passing second, hitting hard against the brick walls and leaving scorch marks with each slap.

She watches with a rapidly beating heart and heavy breathing as Grant continues to stumble through the hallway, nearly tripping over his own feet with each step he takes.

Her breath catches when he collapses against one of the walls, the flames around him continuing to grow and flicker until they completely engulf him in their red and orange hues.

"Grant!" she calls out, moving quickly toward him. "Grant!"

He whips around toward her and she takes a small step back on instinct. There's rage burning in his glazed over eyes, a slight growl under his breath as he tilts his head. A sneer makes its way past his teeth and she glances out of the corner of her eye, seeing others slowly starting to crowd around them, more than likely out of curiosity as to what's happening. She can hear them whispering to each other, watching the scene intently as it unfolds.

"Stay back," she says to them all, glancing around quickly. "Stay back or I swear I'll bring this roof down on all of us."

She focuses her attention back on Grant, or, what she hopes is still Grant, slowly moving closer, keeping her hands where he can see them, just in case.

His entire body moves back and she stops. She waits a beat before slowly moving forward again, her eyes fixed on his. "Grant, I know you're in there. This isn't you. I know you won't hurt me. I trust you, remember? I trust you with my life."

His head tilts and she sees the rage flicker briefly in his eyes. A small hint of a smile graces her lips.

She takes the final few steps forward, getting as close to him as she possibly can and slowly reaches a hand out, resting it on his arm and letting out a small breath of relief when she remains uninjured. She gives him a small smile. "I know you're in there, Grant. And I know that you're stronger than this, you can fight it. You just have to believe in yourself. Just like I believe in you."

It feels like the longest minutes of her life before she sees the rage in his eyes slowly start to disappear, the flames surrounding his body getting smaller before dying out completely, being absorbed back into his skin.

She moves with him as he sinks to his knees, his entire body falling toward hers.

Wrapping her arms around him, she pulls him as close as she can, her heart breaking when he collapses into her lap and wraps his own arms tightly around her, a sob escaping past his lips as he buries his face in her shirt.

Her eyes start to blur from the forming tears. She cards her fingers through his hair, gently massaging his scalp as his body continues to shake. She lowers her head next to his ear, whispering what she hopes to be comforting words of encouragement that will help calm him.

"Help me," he whimpers, his body shaking as he tries to keep himself under control.

Skye vigorously nods her head against his. "Of course. We can get away," she tells him quietly. "My offer from before, it's still there. We can get away from here for a while, however long you need. If you want that."

He nods. "Please."

"Okay. Come on, then." She shifts them on the floor and drapes one of his arms over her shoulders, helping him up off the floor. It's easier this time, since he's awake and not unconscious.

They make their way down the hall as quickly as possible, in the direction of Grant's bunk, ignoring the surrounding agents that are still staring and whispering.

Once they reach the room, Skye helps him inside and watches as he steps away from her and immediately collapses onto his bed.

Figuring it best not to bother him for the time being, she grabs a spare duffel bag from the closet and begins placing Grant's clothes and other items inside the bag, even though he doesn't have that much stuff with him. He never had much with him to begin with back on the Bus, but now it's even less than it used to be. All he really has is clothing, nothing personal at all. It makes her a little sad, knowing that he doesn't have anything sentimental at all from his years of life to keep with him. She was an orphan her entire life but even she has a few things she holds near and dear to her.

Once the bag is packed, she sets it aside for later and glances over at the bed to see Grant lying asleep on his stomach, his brows furrowed deeply and one fist clenched tightly against the blanket. There's a slight glimmer against his skin, and it doesn't take her long to realize that it's the heat from the fire inside his body, not quite escaping past, but just barely bubbling under the surface.

Her heart breaks at the sight, that even in his sleep he's on edge.

Making a decision, she moves toward the bed and climbs on top of the covers, carefully curling herself up next to Grant. She rests one hand over his fist, feeling his muscles loosen under her touch. He doesn't wake, but she can see the uneasiness lessen over his body at just the simple touch of her hand on his, the glimmer she saw starting to lessen as well.

Scooting her body closer to his, she laces their fingers together and holds his hand closer to her, letting her eyes slowly close as she drifts off into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> On a scale of 1-10, how hard was it for you to read all of what was happening to Grant. 'Cause it was hard for me and I'm the one who wrote it all out.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya! We're very close to the end of our story here, so I hope you all enjoy these last couple of chapters.
> 
> Enjoy!

Hours later, Skye slowly begins to come back into consciousness, immediately registering the heavy weight on her side. Turning her head just enough to see, the edges of her lips twitch at Grant curled up right behind her, his arm draped across her with their hands still linked together in front of her.

Slowly pulling herself from his hold, trying her best not to wake him, she makes her way to the en-suite bathroom, closing the door behind her.

She does what she needs to do to help herself wake up more fully and then takes a moment to stand in front of the mirror and look at herself. Is she really going to do this? Is she really going to leave SHIELD behind because of Grant Ward? If you'd asked her six months ago she would have laughed in your face. Even just a few weeks ago she probably would have scoffed and called you crazy. But now...now it doesn't seem like that crazy of a thing for her to do. She's definitely feeling things for him that she didn't think she'd be feeling again. Very, very strong things that she didn't want to feel again but can't help herself when it comes to him.

Splashing some water in her face to wake herself up a little bit more, she grabs one of the hand towels to dry her face off before exiting the bathroom, shutting the light off as she goes.

Stepping back into the room, she finds Grant stirring from his slumber, his hand blindly reaching out against the part of the bed she'd been lying in just moments before.

Approaching the bed, she sits on the edge and reaches out to rest her hand on top of his again, smiling softly at him when he threads their fingers together and then opens his eyes.

"Hi," she says quietly.

"Hi."

"You feeling any better?"

"A little."

"Good. Are you feeling up to getting out here? The final decision is yours."

He nods. "I want to go."

"Okay. Let me run to my bunk real quick and pack some things, then I'll come back here to get you and we can go. Will you be okay on your own for a few minutes?"

He nods again. "I think so. Do I need to pack stuff too?"

"I already took care of that. Hope you didn't mind a girl going through your underwear drawer."

"It was a pretty girl, so I think I'll be okay."

She brushes some hair back behind her ear, glancing down quickly before looking back up at him. "Okay. I'll be right back." She lightly squeezes his hand before standing up and making her way over to the door.

She casts one final glance back at him and then slides the door open, stepping through and being sure to close it after her. She quickly makes her way down to her own bunk, inputting the code to unlock the door and stepping inside.

She pulls a duffel bag from the closet and drops it onto her bed, followed by one of the black backpacks she sometimes uses on missions. She opens all of her drawers and shoves as many clothes into the duffel bag as she thinks she'll need. She combs over every inch of the bunk, making sure she grabs everything that she wants to take with her and putting them into either the duffel bag with her clothes or the backpack.

Smiling just a little when she reaches her old hula doll buried down inside a box of random items, she sets it carefully inside the duffel bag before grabbing a few more smaller items and setting them in the bag as well.

Zipping up both bags, she hoists them onto her shoulder and then walks to the door, stopping just inside the doorway to take one more look around the room.

She sighs at the thought of never returning to this room again. They never specified a time frame, but she has a feeling Grant will never want to come back to this base, or to SHIELD in general. And she doesn't blame him in the slightest. If she was in his position, she wouldn't want to come back either.

Shutting off the light, she steps into the hallway and walks back in the direction of Grant's bunk.

"Skye?"

She looks over her shoulder and then turns fully when she sees Fitz slowly approaching her, a small smile growing on her face. "Fitz, hey. What's up?"

"Not much. Um, what are you doing with a duffel bag and a backpack? Are you going somewhere?"

"Grant and I are getting away from SHIELD," he tells him honestly. "It's not healthy for him to be here, never was. He can't recover properly with everyone treating him like they do, and I honestly don't think he's stable enough to be out there on his own right now. So I'm going with him."

"How long will you be gone?" he asks.

She sighs. "Honestly? I'm not sure. Possibly for good. You know I love working for SHIELD, Fitz, and I appreciate it because it gave me a family when I didn't have one, but Grant's sanity is the most important thing to me right now."

Fitz nods. "Right, um, yeah, I get that. When are you leaving?"

"As soon as Grant's ready," she tells him. "I've already packed both of our bags, so as soon as he's feeling up to leaving, we're getting out."

"Will you keep in touch?" he asks her hesitantly.

She gives him a soft smile. "As best as we can. I'm not exactly sure where we're going to go, but I just know that it won't be anywhere near here."

"As long as you two want this."

"We do, Fitz." She reaches out and gives his upper arm a small squeeze. "You'll always be one of my best friends," she assures him. "You were there for me when I got my abilities and didn't make me feel like I was a freak; I'll always be grateful for that."

"Neither of you are freaks," he tells her. "You're just a little different, and there's nothing wrong with that."

She smiles at the familiar words. "Thanks, Fitz." She turns around to continue down the hall when she remembers something and turns back to face him. "Hey, do you think you could find Abby and have her disengage Grant's tracker? That way no one can track us and he doesn't feel trapped or anything anymore."

Fitz nods. "Yeah, I'll go find her right now."

"You're the best, Fitz." She gives him one last appreciative smile and a quick squeeze of his arm before turning around and walking the rest of the way down the hall.

.

.

.

"Hey, are you ready to go?" Skye asks Grant as soon as she steps inside his bunk, rubbing her hands together eagerly.

His brows furrow. "Where's your bag?"

"I already dropped it in the SUV we're going to take. But we need to get moving quickly so we can try to avoid running into anyone on our way out."

"Um, my tracking bracelet came off," he tells her, holding up the object.

"Yeah, I know. I had Fitz ask Abby to disengage it."

"Oh. Okay." He drops the bracelet and slowly stands from the bed, shuffling his feet against the carpet for a moment. "Do you really want to do this?" he asks her.

She steps toward him and reaches up to frame his face with her hands. "I want whatever is best for you, Grant. And that's getting away from SHIELD." She gives him a small smile before reaching down to grab his duffel bag. She stands up straight and takes a deep breath. "So let's get out of here."

He gives her a small smile back and nods his head. "Okay. Let's go."

She smiles at him once more before wrapping an arm around him to help support his weight as they exit the room and start making their way down the hall toward the garage. He's still a bit weak from everything that went down earlier and has some trouble staying upright on both of his feet.

"What's going on here?"

Skye pauses, adjusting her hold around Grant's waist ever so slightly, and then glances over her shoulder to see Coulson approaching them from an adjoining hallway.

"We're leaving."

"Like hell you are."

"You have no control over what I do with my life, Coulson, so don't act like you do. Grant and I are getting out of here."

"I don't like the idea of you going off alone with him."

"I don't care. We're leaving." She fixes him with a hard glare before moving forward again, nudging Grant along with her.

"You're not leaving."

They're stopped in their tracks by Coulson rushing to stand in their path, blocking them from moving any further down the hall.

"You don't get to decide that," she tells him. "I may work for you, but I don't belong to you. In fact, consider my leaving as my resignation. I'm done being an agent, Grant and I are leaving."

"I don't accept," Coulson says. "Ward is free to go if he wants to risk being captured and killed by someone else who wants him dead, I couldn't care less what happens to him. But you're one of my best agents, Skye, you can't leave."

"Do  _not_  test me right now, Coulson." She tightens her hold on Grant. He's scared, that much she knows just based on how badly he's shaking. A quick glance at him shows her that his eyes are closed and his head is down. The next second, his face is buried in her neck and his arm is wrapped tightly around her.

A small crowd gathers around them, she notices them slowly trickling in out of the corner of her eyes, most of the agents standing near Coulson and shooting wary glances between here and Grant, but mostly at Grant.

"What's going on?" one of the agents speaks up.

"What's that freak doing hanging onto her like that?" another agent interjects. "What's he done to her?"

She feels Grant's body tense at the harsh words thrown out.

She adjusts her hold on him and then raises her other hand into the air after setting his bag on the ground. "If you don't think I won't push every one of you out of the way right now then you clearly don't know me well enough. We're leaving."

Words of protest rise up from the agents, Coulson staring her down silently. She locks eyes with the man who she used to admire and look up to, wishing that he could have been her father all along. But she doesn't recognize him anymore, hasn't for a long time. For a while she didn't even recognize herself either. And she doesn't like that.

She drowns out the voices around her, flexing her fingers as a final warning that she'll do whatever she needs to do to get out of there with Grant, the ground trembling beneath all of them.

"Just leave him alone!"

The shouting stops and everyone in the hallway looks to the side to see Fitz standing with his hands balled into fists down at his sides and his brows furrowed together, his breathing heavy.

"Can't you all see he's been through enough already? He can barely stand on his own right now. If he wants to leave, he should, and Skye should be able to go with him without any ridicule from the lot of you. You all act like you're saints, but you're not. None of us are. So stop setting yourselves up on self-built pedestals just to make yourselves feel better."

It's quiet for a moment among the small crowd before everyone begins muttering to themselves and shuffling on their feet, their eyes becoming glued to the floor, the walls, or the ceiling.

Skye looks at Fitz with a teary smile. "Thank you," she whispers.

He smiles back with a small nod. "Just let me know when you're safe, if you can."

She nods back. "Absolutely. Did you tell Abby we're leaving?" She leans down to pick up the duffel bag off the floor.

He nods. "Of course."

"Great, thanks." She gives him another smile before turning and pushing past Coulson without giving him another glance, tugging Grant along beside her as they make their way toward the garage.

Stepping into the large room, Skye immediately moves over to one of the black SUV's.

She walks with Grant over to the car, unlocking it with the keys she grabbed earlier and pulling open the back door. Before she can say or do anything, Grant crawls inside the car and lies down on the backseat, curling his legs up just enough so he'll fit on the seat.

Skye slides his duffel bag onto the floor next to hers, in front of the seat Grant is on, before watching him for a moment as he stares up at the roof of the car.

"Are you going to be okay?" she asks him softly.

He shrugs without looking at her or saying a word.

She sighs, closing the door and then turning to open the driver's door. She climbs up inside the vehicle, quickly buckling herself in and starting the engine.

She adjusts whatever settings she needs to, including disabling the GPS tracker that every SHIELD vehicle is equipped with, and then uses the remote attached to the visor above her to open the doors before tossing it out the window onto the cement.

Taking a deep breath, she doesn't even hesitate in shifting the gear down into drive and pulling out of the garage and out onto the road, away from SHIELD and everyone that's in it. This is the only real option for the both of them, to get away from SHIELD, most likely forever, and never look back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Who loved Fitz in that hallway scene at the end? Because I did. It was fun to write. :)
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya! Only two more chapters left, you guys! Wow. Thanks for coming on this journey with me. :)
> 
> Enjoy!

Steering the SUV down the gravel road, Skye pulls into one of the parking spaces along the side of the motel building. She shifts the gear into park and glances behind her to see Grant still lying asleep in the back seat. He's been like that almost since the moment they left the base.

Letting out a quiet sigh, she shuts off the engine and then climbs out. She enters the lobby of the motel, walks up to the front desk, and gives the woman behind it a small smile.

They exchange pleasantries before she asks for a room, thankful that there's one available, and then makes her way back out into the cool evening air.

She returns to where she parked the car and pulls open the back door, grabbing both duffel bags out and closing the door. She steps up onto the curb and walks along the sidewalk, searching for room 117.

She slides one of the room keys through the lock and pushes the door open. As she steps inside she flips on the lightswitch once she locates it against the wall, immediately lighting up the room. She sets both bags on the small table in the corner of the room, taking note of the single bed sitting in the center. No backing out now.

Sliding the key cards into her back pocket, she turns around and makes her way back out to the SUV to wake up Grant.

Opening the back door of the SUV, the edges of her lips quirk at the sight of Grant curled up awkwardly in the backseat. She furrows her brows in thought, debating whether or not to wake him up because he's actually asleep but he's also going to be uncomfortable when he wakes up in that position.

Ultimately deciding that waking him up will be the best option, she takes a step forward and tentatively reaches a hand out to his shoulder, not wanting him to get startled and lash out at her.

Thankfully he doesn't startle awake, simply opens his eyes slowly and tilts his head to look up at her.

"Skye?"

"Hey." She gives him a small smile, pulling her hand back. "You fell asleep in the back of the SUV not long after we left."

He slowly pulls himself up into a seated position, looking out the car windows before looking back at her. "Where are we?"

"Somewhere safe we can rest," she tells him. "We'll be okay here for one night."

"Skye…"

She places a hand comfortingly on his arm. "I promise you we'll be fine, Grant. I've been driving all day and I need to rest. And so do you."

Grant sighs. "Alright." He climbs out of the car and shuts the door. "Where am I going?"

" _We're_ going to 117."

"Just one room?"

She nods. "Yeah. It's just for one night. I think we can handle it."

He takes a deep breath and nods. "Okay. Lead the way."

Skye turns and makes her way down the sidewalk, Grant following close behind her.

Once they reach the room, Skye unlocks the door and pushes it open, allowing Grant to step inside in front of her.

"I'll take the floor," he says as soon as he gets inside and takes notice of the single bed.

"What?" Skye asks as she closes and locks the door, her brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"I'll take the floor," he repeats. "You can have the bed."

"What? Why?"

He shifts on his feet. "I don't want you to feel too uncomfortable."

She smiles appreciatively. "It's fine, Grant, we can share the bed. You shouldn't have to sleep on the floor; these places aren't exactly known for their cleanliness. That includes the floor. Not that the beds are much better."

"I don't know if it's a good idea," he says.

She rolls her eyes. "It'll be fine. I honestly don't mind being so close to you, it's not going to bother me." She smiles softly at him.

"If you're sure…"

She nods her head. "I am."

He nods. "Okay."

"Great. I'm going to go into the bathroom and get changed." She steps over to one of the duffle bags and unzips it, digging inside for her pajamas; a pair of shorts and a tank top. "I'll be right back," she tells him, heading toward the bathroom at the other end of the room. "Make yourself comfortable." She gestures to the bed and then walks inside the bathroom, flipping on the light and closing the door.

Grant stays where he is for a moment before stepping toward his duffle bag and unzipping it. He pulls his pajamas out of the bag; a pair of black sweatpants and a grey t-shirt, and then quickly changes into them, shoving his dirty clothes back into the bag.

He walks over to the bed and sits down on the edge of it for a moment before shifting and lying down, resting his head on the pillow as he stares up at the bare ceiling. He lets his mind wander as he lies there, thinking about whatever pops into his head.

"Hey, you okay?"

Grant turns his head to look at Skye standing next to the other side of the bed. "What? Oh, uh, yeah, I'm okay."

"You look a little stiff," she tells him, brushing her hair out with her fingers to get rid of some of the tangles in it. "Just relax."

"Relax, okay." He nods his head. "Yeah, I think I can do that."

Skye laughs quietly to herself and then climbs onto the bed, not bothering to get underneath the covers. She can feel Grant tense up even more beside her.

She turns on her side to face him and scoots closer to his body, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his chest.

Grant freezes for a moment, unsure of what to do.

"Goodnight," Skye murmurs in her half-asleep state

"Goodnight," he whispers back.

After a minute of lying in the bed with Skye curled up against him he begins to relax, his breathing evening out and his heart rate slowing.

Without much thought to it, he wraps both of his arms around Skye, her body shifting closer to him when he does, and just lies there.

It takes him a while to actually fall asleep himself, many different thoughts actively running through his head, but he eventually manages to find some sleep.

.

.

.

Slowly cracking her eyes open, Skye smiles at Grant's arms wrapped tightly around her, the steady beating of his heart sounding strongly beneath her ear.

Shifting slightly on the bed, she tilts her head back to look up at Grant lying completely relaxed and she can't keep the smile on her face from growing wider, right up into her eyes.

With the life she's had, it's rare for her to wish to just stay in a single moment forever, but right now like this, not having to worry about anyone or anything else, she realizes that this is how it should always be. Grant looks so peaceful in this moment, like he isn't carrying so much weight on his shoulders, and she wishes more than anything that they could just stay like this.

Eventually Grant shifts on the bed and he turns his head toward her, a smile pulling at his lips when he sees her awake.

The sight of Grant actually smiling makes her heart swell and she can't resist the urge to run her fingers through his messy bed hair.

Grant closes his eyes and breathes in deeply at the gesture, his smile growing a little wider as he leans into her touch.

He shifts on the bed again and lifts his head off of the pillow, resting his forehead against hers. Skye shivers slightly as the unnatural heat of his body seeps into hers. She closes her eyes and smiles at the complete and utter peace wafting over the both of them in that moment. It's a feeling that neither of them has had in a really, really long time.

Before she knows it, Grant's lips are on hers in a gentle, yet loving, manner, his warm fingers threading themselves through her short hair, trying to pull her closer.

She doesn't hesitate in reciprocating the kiss, resting one hand on his cheek and letting her thumb rub at the small bit of stubble on his face.

Grant breaks the kiss after a moment, snaking his hand completely behind her head to draw her in closer to him, resting their foreheads together again. "Thank you," he mutters under his breath, his eyes closed as he just holds her there, not wanting to let her go.

Skye pauses, not sure how to respond. His words carry so much deeper meaning to them, so much that she doesn't think a simple 'you're welcome' can convey everything that she needs him to know right in that moment.

Instead, she tilts her head and softly slides her lips over his again, no rush or haste in the kiss, just her lips on his.

"I love you," she finds herself whispering against his lips before she can really help herself. But she doesn't regret saying it. Not even a little. Because it's true. She's tried to fight it but now she's giving in to it and embracing it.

"I love you too," he responds in a quiet, almost timid, voice. And she believes him. Without a doubt. She knows that he loves her.

Skye presses another small kiss to his rough lips before pulling back and curling up against him, resting her head on his chest and closing her eyes. She concentrates on the strong and soothing rhythm of his beating heart beneath her ear, letting it lull her back to sleep.

.

.

.

When he wakes up again a few hours later, the sun already high in the sky, Grant does his best to climb out of the bed without disturbing the woman sleeping next to him. He manages to disentangle himself from her and stands from the bed, stretching out his arms to help himself wake up.

As silently as possible he moves over to his duffle bag and digs out his jeans and a fresh t-shirt, quickly changing into them and shoving his pajamas back into the bag. He zips the bag up and then slips his shoes onto his feet, doing his best to remain as quiet as he can. He grabs the bag off the table and holds it securely in his hand as he walks the short distance over to the door.

His hand is touching the door handle, getting ready to turn it, when her voice makes him stop.

"Grant? What are you doing?" He can hear the slight tinge of hurt in her voice.

He doesn't turn around, he can't look at her. "I'm leaving," he tells her. "And before you say anything, I'll be fine. I've been on my own before, I know how to handle myself."

He hears the bed creak and then her bare feet padding across the worn-down carpet of the room. "Are you forgetting about what happened yesterday?" she asks him. "You almost lost yourself just walking down a damn hallway, Grant. You're in no condition to be out on your own right now, not like this. This isn't like the last time you were on your own. You have new abilities that you still don't have a complete handle on yet."

He sighs. "I'll be fine, Skye, I promise."

"No, you won't be," she says firmly. "Stop trying to convince me that you'll be fine because I've seen you lose control too many times recently to believe that for even a second. Now tell me what the hell is going on with you, Grant. Please."

He turns around slowly to face her. "I don't want this to end," he admits softly.

She furrows her brows. "What?"

"I don't want this to end," he repeats, taking a small step toward her. "Last night was one of the best nights I've ever had, I was actually able to fall and stay asleep without any nightmares waking me up or having to worry about someone trying to kill me in my sleep. It was just the two of us here in this crappy motel room, and it was nice. I don't want to go back to SHIELD, Skye, I can't go back there; but I can't ask you to leave behind the only home you've ever known for me. I'm not worth it."

He watches as Skye stays silent in her spot, her mouth opening and closing a few times, most likely trying to find a way to let him down easy.

After a moment she takes a few steps forward. She reaches out and grabs his empty hand in hers, linking their fingers together as she looks directly into his eyes.

"Don't  _ever_  say that you aren't worth it," she tells him softly. "And as for SHIELD being the only home I've ever known, that's only partially true. SHIELD felt like my home for a long time because that's what I needed at the time. But now, right now, I have never felt more at home than when I'm with you. SHIELD is my past but  _you_  are my future, Grant. I'm not going anywhere unless it's with you. SHIELD doesn't feel right anymore, but this does." She holds up their entwined hands between them. "Almost like it's meant to be. Like it was always meant to be."

Grant can't help the wide smile that grows on his face at hearing those words come out of her mouth. That's how he's always felt. He takes a step closer to her and bends his head down, pressing his lips to hers and pouring every ounce of his love for her into it.

And in that moment, he knows that he has it good. The woman he loves is never going to leave him again.

Skye slowly pulls out of the kiss and smiles up at him. He can see it in her eyes how much she loves him. "Let me change my clothes and then we'll get out of here," she tells him, dropping his hand to grab a change of clothes out of her duffle bag. "You can go and check us out while I'm changing." She hands him both key cards. "Just go to the front desk and return these." She gives him a small smile. "Think you can handle that?"

He nods. "Yeah, I think so."

"Good. I should be ready to go when you get back." She rises onto her toes and gives him a quick peck on the lips before turning and walking into the bathroom.

Grant smiles at the familiar feeling of her lips on his before turning and making his way out of the room, his duffle bag in his hand. He drops his bag into the backseat of the SUV before heading toward the front of the motel.

"Hi," he greets the woman sitting behind the desk as he steps through the front doors.

"Hello, handsome." She smiles at him. "What can I do for you today?"

"Um, I'm here to check out." He hands the key cards over to her.

"Which room were you in, sweetie?" she asks, taking the cards and turning to her computer.

"117," he replies.

"Oh, are you with that pretty little thing that came to check you both in last night?"

Grant gives her a small smile and nods. "Yeah."

"Good job." She smiles at him. "You're a very lucky guy."

"Believe me, I know."

She taps her computer keys a few times and then smiles up at him. "Alright, sweetie. You're all checked out. Thanks for staying with us and have a good rest of your day."

"Thank you." He nods politely. "You too." He turns around and makes his way back outside and heads in the direction of the car, eager to get back on the road and put even more distance between himself and SHIELD.

When he reaches the vehicle, he finds Skye leaning back against the front of it, her arms crossed casually over her chest.

He smiles as he approaches, stopping when he's right in front of her. "Hi."

She smiles back. "Hi." She pushes off the car and snakes her arms around his neck, her smile widening when his arms find their way around her waist. "Did you check us out?" she asks him.

He nods. "Mm-hmm."

"Great. Do you want me to drive?"

He shakes his head. "You drove all day yesterday."

"Alright. Shall we go then?"

He nods. "Let's."

They reluctantly pull away from each other, stealing a quick kiss before they do, and climb up into the front of the SUV, strapping themselves into their seats.

Grant turns over the engine of the car and shifts it into reverse. He turns his head to look at Skye. "Where should we go?"

Skye slides a pair of sunglasses on her face and turns her head to smile at him. "Just drive."

"Really?" he asks.

She nods. "Yeah. Let's just drive, see where the road takes us. We don't have anything holding us back anymore; we don't have to worry about SHIELD, so let's just go. Let's see what this beautiful country of ours has to offer us. What do you say?"

"I say," he starts, reaching out to grab her hand in his and link their fingers together, "that as long as I'm with you, I don't care where we end up."

She smiles at him. "Me too."

Leaning forward in his seat, Grant gives Skye a quick kiss on the lips before sitting forward and pulling out of the parking space and out onto the main road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts. :)
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! Back again with a new chapter for ya! This is the last 'chapter', the next one is just an epilogue for you. This one was nice to write, though.
> 
> I may post the next chapter tomorrow, if I'm feeling up to it. ;)
> 
> Enjoy!

Slowly pulling the SUV up to a gas pump, Grant shifts the gear into park and then shuts off the engine, pulling the keys out of the ignition. He glances over to the passenger seat to see Skye reclined back in the seat, her feet resting up on the dash, her eyes closed, and earbuds stuck in her ears.

He reaches out and places a hand on her arm, drawing her attention to him.

She lifts her head and pulls one bud out of her ear, her brows furrowed together. "Why'd we stop?"

"We need to fill up," he tells her. "We're almost out of gas."

She nods. "Okay." She sits up more in her seat, wrapping the headphones around her phone and stashing it in the bag at her feet. "Do you want to fill up while I go inside and get us some snacks for the trip?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Great." She leans down to her backpack and pulls her wallet out, making sure she has enough cash to get food inside the convenience store. She looks up at him. "You have money to fill up, right?"

He nods. "Thankfully I still had some cash at my old safe house."

Her brows furrow. "When did we go by one of your safe houses?"

"You were sleeping," he tells her with a small smile. "There wasn't one too far from the motel we were at, so when you fell asleep I drove over there and got some of my things." He gestures to the duffle bag in the back seat. "I still had some cash there, too. Enough to get us by for a while, I think. And if we're near any of my other safe houses along the way, we can stop and see if there's anything of use."

She smiles. "Sounds like a plan. Is there anything you want me to get you while I'm inside?"

He shrugs. "Whatever you want to get is fine."

She chuckles quietly. "I'll make sure to get a few healthier options for you." She leans forward to give him a quick kiss. "I'll be right back." She turns away from him and steps out of the car, closing the door behind her and walking toward the convenience store.

Reaching into the backseat, he shuffles around inside the duffle bag before pulling out a small wad of cash. Pulling a few larger bills out of it, he exits the vehicle, making sure to grab the keys in case the car locks, and then steps over to the pre-pay machine.

He pays for what he hopes will fill up the car, at least, enough to get them somewhere, and then sets the pump into the gas tank, securing the pump so he doesn't have to hold onto it.

As he waits for the car to finish filling up with gas, he leans back against the vehicle, crossing his arms casually over his chest and lets his mind wander.

He's free, he's no longer tied down by SHIELD or Hydra, Garrett or his family, or anything else that used to cause him pain and stress. Now he's out on his own, with Skye, and they're just going to do whatever they want to do. It's more than he ever thought he'd have. He honestly thought he'd be dead by now. He technically was. But then he came back.

At first he thought it was just the universe trying to screw with him again. But now he's not so sure. Maybe it's actually trying to make up for all the horrible stuff he had to go through. Wouldn't that be something.

"Grant?"

Pulling himself out of his thoughts at the soft voice, he looks over his shoulder to see Skye standing on the other side of the car, looking at him with slightly furrowed brows.

"What?"

She cracks a small smile. "I think the car's done filling up."

He looks at the gas machine to see that it is indeed done filling, so he quickly replaces the pump into its holder and takes the receipt that prints out.

"What had you so lost in thought that you didn't realize the car was done?" she asks him.

He shrugs, replacing the gas cap and closing the little door. "Nothing important."

"Are you sure?"

He smiles softly and gives a small nod. "I'm sure. Now come on, we better get back on the road."

"Yeah, yeah." She rolls her eyes teasingly and then climbs inside the car.

He climbs into the other side after making sure that he's not leaving anything behind or unchecked, and then closes the door behind him.

"What's that for?" Grant asks the woman next to him when he notices the small, cheap camera she's fiddling around with in her lap.

"For taking pictures, duh," she says back, tossing the small bag of snacks she bought into the backseat.

He rolls his eyes. "Yes, I realize that. But why do you have it?"

"So we can capture as many moments as possible on our little adventure." She smiles. "We're going to be exploring this country and I've probably never seen most of what we're going to see, and I don't think you've ever stayed anywhere long enough to appreciate it.

"Plus, it'll be fun to have a photo from all the different places we go to. You don't have to be in all the pictures if you don't want to be, just as long as you allow me to get at least one picture of the both of us at all of the really cool places. It's not quite the quality I'd prefer, but what can you expect from a convenience store camera? You can be my own personal photographer since I know you won't want to be in that many pictures."

Grant thinks for a minute and then relents, nodding his head. "Fine." It doesn't take much for Skye to get what she wants when he's around. He just wants her to be happy. And he'll do whatever he can to keep her happy.

Skye grins at him. "Thank you." She leans forward and gives him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning back around in her seat and strapping herself in, tossing her feet up onto the dash like before.

Grant just smiles to himself and straps himself in, turning the engine over and pulling away from the gas pump and back onto the road, ready and eager to start on this new adventure.

.

.

.

They spend a significant amount of time just traveling; they roam across the country and explore as many different sites as they can. They visit all the major cities that they want to, as well as a few smaller cities that are popular tourist attractions. They go anywhere and everywhere they want, no one to tell them what they can or can't do.

Neither of them have the need to settle down anywhere just yet either, mainly because traveling and constantly moving helps to keep Grant somewhat grounded and distracted from all of his problems that he's still learning to deal with. There's always something new to do or see that keeps his mind occupied and off other, more stressful, things.

Most of the places they visit around the States are completely new to Skye, and she can't contain her excitement and amazement at everything they see. Grant loves the looks of pure wonder and joy Skye gets on her face every time she finds something she loves that she's never experienced before. It makes him fall more and more in love with her each time.

.

.

.

Over the months they spend traveling, Grant slowly starts to get back to his regular self, or at least, a version of himself that is much less haunted by the nightmares of his past.

The nightmares stop coming to him as often as they used to. He's never plagued during the daytime anymore, only at night, and not as much as before. The voice he used to hear taunting him is now just a faded memory. Every once in a while he'll think he hears something in his head, but he can usually manage to push it back and focus on something else.

Most nights he's able to get himself calmed down from a particular bad dream, but some nights, rare nights, they're more than he can handle alone. But Skye is always right there beside him to help him work through it all. Without any ounce of hesitation.

.

.

Eyes still closed, Skye's brows furrow together as she waits for the thrashing and the few small flames she can hear crackling to cease as they usually do after a minute or two. Most of the time Grant's able to get himself calmed down and she'll curl up closer to him, letting him know she's there without saying anything.

When, this time, instead of dying down, both the thrashing and the flames grow in intensity, she opens her eyes and flips over to see Grant's face scrunched up and his body moving violently across the top of the bed. Flames lick at his skin, as she suspected. It hasn't been this bad in months, not since those first few rough nights right after leaving SHIELD behind when he was still worried that someone was going to come after him in his sleep.

She sits up quickly in the bed and pulls her legs up to avoid the leg that he throws out, most likely reacting to something in his nightmare. "Grant!" She reaches out to him and places her hand on his shoulder, hoping to ground him back into reality. "Grant! Babe, it's okay. You're okay. You're safe. Grant, please. You're safe."

Grant bolts upright, his breathing heavy and sweat beading on his forehead. The flames slowly start to retreat back into his body as he comes to, taking deep breaths to slow his heart beat.

"Hey," she says softly, scooting closer to him and running a hand through his hair while the other rests on his upper arm. "You're okay now." She drops a kiss to his exposed shoulder and then rests her chin on it, looking up at him as she massages his scalp with her fingers, knowing that it helps to calm him down. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asks quietly.

He swallows thickly, staying silent for just a moment. "It was...you were...and Quinn...and it was bad...way worse...and I...I couldn't...I'm so sorry." His body starts to tremble again.

"Hey, it's okay." She moves closer to him, almost sitting in his lap, and places both of her hands on his cheeks, making him look her in the eyes. "I'm okay. It was just a nightmare, it wasn't real." She places one of his hands on her chest, right above her heart, staying quiet for a moment so he can feel the beat beneath his fingers. "You guys saved me that and now I'm here. And I'm not planning on going anywhere. Ever."

He nods slowly. "Will you hold me?" he asks her in a whisper. "I just...I need to know you're here."

She gives him a small smile and shakes her head. "You don't need to explain anything. You know that you never need to explain." She presses a soft kiss to his lips before scooting back down to her side of the bed and silently opening her arms to him.

Grant moves down the bed and lies next to her, wrapping his arms comfortably around her waist and resting his head on her chest. He lets his eyes close as he listens and concentrates on the steady beat of her heart beneath his ear, letting it lull him back to sleep.

Skye just smiles, dropping a kiss to the top of his head before settling down into the bed and letting sleep overtake her again. She prays that the rest of their night will go smoothly.

.

.

.

Grant shifts a little in the new bed he shares with Skye of their new home on their first night in their new town. They'd been traveling for months and finally, just a few weeks prior, Grant suggested that they find a place to stay for good, to put down roots and really make a life for themselves. Skye agreed instantly, as long as it was what he really wanted to do and not just because he thinks it's what she wanted.

It took them a little while to find a good place, somewhere far enough away from the main SHIELD base, but not crazy far in case Fitz, Abby, or Mack want to visit them. They're both pretty happy with where they picked, finally settling down like normal people.

"Skye," Grant speaks up, shifting again.

"Yeah?" she replies, eyes closed as she snuggles deeper into his warm embrace. His unnatural body heat makes her never want to leave his arms.

"Do you regret leaving SHIELD?"

"No," she says simply. "I don't."

"You don't?"

She shakes her head, turning in his arms so she can look at him. "No, I don't. I like being here, in this small town, with you, away from all the prying and judgemental eyes we were constantly getting. I like being in a place where no one knows us and we can start over and build a good life together."

"You don't regret leaving. Even though they were your family?"

"Key word here being 'were'," she says. "They  _were_  my family. But  _you're_  my family now, Grant. You and me, this is our little family. And I wouldn't trade it for the world."

"Really?" he asks, a small and rare light in his eyes.

She smiles at him and nods. "Really." She leans up to give him a quick kiss on the lips. "I love you, and I'm not going anywhere."

He smiles when she pulls away. "I love you too."

"Good, now go back to sleep. We've got a big day tomorrow."

His brows furrow together but he lies back down anyways. "We do?"

"Mm-hmm. Tomorrow I'm setting up our home security system. I mean, I know this place is known for being very low on the crime, but it'll make me feel a lot better. And you have that appointment tomorrow as well, to make sure you're really doing as okay as we both hope you are. And I think I saw one of our neighbors watching us yesterday while we were moving in, so I think I might go and introduce myself, try and make a friend."

"Sounds like a very busy day," he mumbles.

"Plus, I need to set up a secure line so that we can still keep in contact with Fitz, Abby, and Mack. I know Abby will like to know that you're doing okay, and I'm sure Fitz and Mack will too."

He nods. "Okay."

Skye smiles and then leans up to press a kiss to the underside of his jaw before settling herself back in his arms, breathing in deeply as she lets her body relax.

She can't keep the smile off her face as she thinks about where they're at in their lives now. They've really started to make a good life for themselves; a good life, together, away from all the pain and chaos and heartache that goes along with SHIELD, and that's exactly how she wants it to stay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


	13. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey babes! FINAL CHAPTER! Wow. What a ride this has been. Thanks for coming along with me on this adventure. It's been really fun to finally bring to life this story that my friend and I created a few years ago.
> 
> Enjoy!

_***3 years later*** _

Stretching her arms up above her head, Skye breathes in deeply, her body slowly relaxing and waking up from another night of peaceful slumber.

Carefully untangling herself from the strong arms wrapped comfortable around her waist, she throws the covers off her body and stands from the bed.

"Alright, Max, go ahead."

Their German Shepherd immediately stands from his own dog bed in the corner of the room and makes his way up onto the large master bed.

Skye rolls her eyes at the sight of Max curled up against her boyfriend, Grant's arm instinctively snaking around the dog. "You two are ridiculous," she mutters under her breath, feigning annoyance despite the faint smile on her lips.

Since the day they adopted Max from the local shelter he and Grant are always attached at the hip. Grant never goes anywhere without Max, he helps keep him calm. That's one thing they realized not long after they arrived.

Being constantly on the move was a good way for Grant to keep his head occupied, but once they decided to settle down, and found a decent therapist for Grant, they soon learned that they needed to find a way for Grant to keep himself grounded, a way other than her.

Thankfully, it didn't take them too long to find Max and it was an instant connection between the two. She loves how close they are, that Max truly does help Grant calm down when he's close to having a panic attack. For a while she thought that she'd be the only one to ever be able to help him. But Max is definitely the next best thing.

The only thing she doesn't like is how when they first got Max the dog tried to shove her out of the bed whenever it was time to sleep. And he was just a puppy. So they made a rule.

Max sleeps in his own bed in the room, just in case Grant ever needs him, and then when she gets out of bed, because she always wakes up first to get ready for the day ahead, Max can curl up with Grant until he wakes up.

And it seems to be working pretty well for them so far.

Casting one last smile at the scene, she turns and makes her way into the bathroom to start getting herself ready. The very beginning of getting herself ready. She still needs her coffee.

Once she's finished in the bathroom, she shuts off the light and crosses back through the bedroom to the door, and out into the hallway.

Shuffling her way through the house and into the kitchen, Skye lets out a large yawn as she walks over to the coffee machine and hits the button to start it up. Setting her phone on the marble countertop, she rises a little on her toes to grab a travel mug and a regular mug out of the cupboard in front of her, setting them both on the counter.

She steps over to the corner of the room, leaning down to refill Max's food bowls, before returning to where the coffee maker is.

A soft ping from her phone draws her attention and she grabs the device, holding it up in front of her, a small smile gracing her lips at the new message.

**It's Girl's Day! See you soon! You better not be late. :***

She laughs quietly and slides her thumb across the screen to reply to the message.

_Can't wait. :)_

She hits send and then locks the device again, setting it on the counter as she leans back and waits for the coffee to finish. She stares out the window in front of her, watching a few birds fly among the trees.

She loves Girl's Day, a monthly tradition that started not too long after she and Grant arrived in their town and got to know their neighbors. Her best friend in the town and next-door neighbor, Emily, was excited to have someone new to show around town and it was a pretty quick and easy friendship between the two. Emily suggested a Girl's Day after Skye and Grant finished getting settled in, as a way for Skye to relax after the stress that comes with moving to a new town, as well as to get to know more of the town and its people. They both loved the day so much that they made it a point to do it again the following month. And three years later the tradition is still alive and kicking. It's definitely one of her favorite days.

She has a lot of those, though, favorite days. Most of them have to do with Grant, the man she loves most in the world and can't imagine her life without. She honestly doesn't know who or where she'd be without him. He's her home.

Her smile widens just a bit when her eye catches sight of the small hula doll sitting on the windowsill above the kitchen sink. The pleasant aroma of the freshly brewed coffee slowly wafts into her nose.

"I'm pretty sure the doctor said no coffee."

She smiles at the familiar, muscular arms snaking themselves around her waist a few seconds later. She instinctively leans back against the chest behind her.

"He said I'm allowed one cup a day, and I'm going to drink it for as long as my body will let me, so please relax."

He sighs. "Fine. But you know I'm just looking out for you, right?"

She turns around in his arms and rests a hand on his cheek, absentmindedly rubbing her thumb against his light stubble. "I know. And I love that. But please don't try to take coffee away from me. I need it to survive."

He laughs quietly, leaning down to give her a quick kiss. "I promise."

She smiles against his lips. "Good." She leans back and takes a deep breath. "Do you work today?"

He shrugs. "Kind of. I have a session in a few hours so Max and I are just going to go over to the shelter to make sure things are on track for the adoption fair coming up." He glances down at the German Shepherd already at his food bowls in the corner of the room. "I really hope the turnout is good this time around."

"I'm sure it will be," she tells him. "You've done a great job with it the last couple of years, making it better and better each time."

He smiles. "Thanks. What are you up to today? I know you have the day off, so any big plans?"

"Girl's Day," she tells him, turning to the coffee machine.

He nods. "Ah, right. I almost forgot it was that time again."

"And I'm telling Emily."

"You are?"

She nods. "Mm-hmm. I know it's still really early and the risks are still pretty high, but she's my best friend and I want to tell her."

"I think you should," he says. "It'll be nice for you to have someone other than me to talk to about this with."

"She's also going to be extremely excited," Skye says with an amused smile.

"She certainly will be."

Things are quiet for a moment as Skye pours some coffee into the travel mug on the counter and secures the lid on top, humming quietly to herself.

"I love you."

Skye turns toward her boyfriend and smiles softly. "I love you too."

He shakes his head and shifts a little on his feet. "No, I really, really love you, Skye. I just...I don't think I can convey in words how much I love you."

"So don't," she says. "I know you love me, Grant. And I'm never going to doubt that for a second. You're my home, and that'll never change. You're my world, my everything, and I love you so damn much it's probably considered very cliché at this point."

He smiles. "Marry me."

She stills, her breath catching in her throat and her hand tightening around the travel mug. "What?"

"Marry me," he repeats. "I don't have a ring right now because I guess this is kind of a spur of the moment thing, but we love each other and we're going to be parents in a few months so let's get married. It doesn't have to be right away, if you want to wait until after the baby is born that's fine, but I think that we should get married. I want us to get married."

He breathes slowly, watching her face carefully and waiting for her to say something.

"I mean...I wouldn't be entirely opposed to the idea," she says with a tiny hint of a smile on her face. "And I think...I think I'd actually like to get married before the baby comes. It doesn't have to be crazy or extravagant, or right away, just something small with the people closest to us. Maybe Abby, Fitz, and Mack would even be able to make it for a couple of days."

"So is that a yes, then?" he asks hopefully, a smile starting to grow on his lips.

Skye nods her head and smiles, rising on her toes to kiss him slowly, threading her fingers of one hand up into his hair. "It's a yes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> And no, this will not be the last you see of these two lovely humans in this universe. I do have some more fun one-shots planned out. Just have to finish writing them. :)
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!

**Author's Note:**

> So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Until next time,  
> Jellybean96 out!


End file.
